And In The Darkness, We'll Find The Ending
by YoungMarie
Summary: He was the bitter man, with a lost future and a story to tell. She was the ransom victim that captivated millions across the nation. While talking to her psychiatrist, Massie block relives her experience as a kidnapped hostage. *Now Complete.
1. Innocence on an Evil Night

**So here's the deal: I don't like these kind of stories. I find them stupid, usually poorly written, and the plot is WAY overdone. So then I was all, "I wonder if I can write one that isn't bad?" And then, of course, I HAD to try it. So here's my Clique hostage situation. Pairings will unravel, along with the storyline. Read and figure that out yourself. The italics at the beginning are based in the future. They are Massie talking to her psychiatrist. **

"_That night was crazy. I mean how quickly everything can change. We were drinking. We were happy. Damn, we thought we had it all. And then they arrive and, I don't know, it just scared the shit out of us. We had never known anything but money and fun, and suddenly we were hoping we wouldn't get shot."_

****

"I can't believe we had to come to my house. You guys have good places too!" Massie yelled, leading the way to her newly renovated basement. They'd finished it so she'd have a good place to hang with her friends, when she complained to her parents that when the guys came over, there wasn't room to do what they wanted. It now had a projector, bigger than any plasma TV on the market, and a giant c-shaped couch with a round coffee table in the middle. Inez had stocked the fridge behind the bar with every different kind of beverage.

The renovation hadn't just been in the basement. Her parents also upgraded the security system, adding locking systems and interlocking metal bars that could secure every window, door, and/or vent. Her father's office had the monitors, with high-def views of every room, courtesy of the new surveillance cameras. Every room could be watched, with the exception of bathrooms and bedrooms. It bugged her, with having to turn off the camera in the basement constantly so she could drink with her friends, since her dad loved to watch over the weekend footage for any disgraceful stuff she might be doing.

Cam grinned, playfully bumping her with his elbow. "C'mon, Mass, didn't you say you found the key to the liquor cabinet?"

She giggled. He was right. Her parents had no creativity, slipping it in with the spare car keys. Stupid. They didn't even think of the whole security system themselves, instead enlisting in the help of some professional.

"And," Derrick said, joining them, "they're gone. So we have this whole place to ourselves."

She walked over to the bar, unlocking the cabinet behind it swiftly, then assessed the situation. "Right you are, Derrick. Now, what do we all want?"

Soon, it was crowded by the bar with all of them, mixing up screwdrivers and seven-and-sevens and rum-and-cokes, adding way too much vodka than they could usually handle.

"Okay, we all have to try not to overdrink. Seriously, I don't need anyone puking on the new carpet. And we are ONLY watching a movie. No partying!"

They chuckled at the last time they had a party at Massie's place, which was discovered the next morning when her parents returned home and heard from the next-door-neighbors that Massie had, "had a good time". They all made a point of only arriving in two cars from now on, parking them in the garage so the neighbors couldn't spy.

"What are we watching anyway?" Kemp asked, raising his eyebrows.

"None of your cheesy '80s porn, if that's what you're wondering," Massie said with an eyeroll. The guys laughed, giving her high-fives.

"I told you guys," Kemp protested, "I only did that when I was thirteen. I thought I was cool."

"And apparently you still do," Massie giggled, getting more high-fives.

Chris shook his head. "She got you, dude."

Kemp sighed. "But seriously. What are we watching?"

They all were silent, thinking about what they wanted to see most. Massie had just about every movie imaginable, along with early copies of some flicks still in theaters.

"How about... an old Die Hard flick?" Plovert said hopefully. The guys smiled.

"Haven't seen that in a while," Cam said softly, then turned to Massie with his "begging" face. "Pwease, Massie?"

She looked at the girls. "Don't mind a little action, do you, girls?"

They all looked kind of annoyed, but nodded anyway. "Fine," they all said dejectedly.

"Someone come and help me find it. I think it's in the living room upstairs."

Kristen raised her hand eagerly. "I'll do it!"

Massie linked arms with her. "Alright, girly, let's go. You guys don't burn down my basement while we're gone!"

They guys laughed lightly and then all ran to the couch, jumping into it and grabbing sufficient numbers of suede pillows to lean against.

Then she heard the doorbell.

"I wonder who's here," Massie mumbled, pulling Kristen along.

"Probably some LBR who thinks they can crash your party," she said with a laugh. Massie nodded.

"Probably."

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she peeked out the window quickly, seeing a FedEx truck parked outside.

"They don't deliver this late. They don't. I just..." she couldn't explain the weird feeling stirring in her gut. The doorbell rang again, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Coming," she said and whipped it open, a bored expression on her face.

The man smiled, then rudely stepped in, causing her to back up, trying to keep her personal space personal.

"Um,_ hi_," she said in a sharp voice, giving him a once-over. Not the typical delivery-man, that was for sure. Black shoes that looked like they would could take a beating or two. Dark jeans, not high-end but definitely not cheap. Not the dorky shorts that they usually arrived in. He didn't smile, instead reached into his back pocket. She narrowed her eyes. He was reaching for a pen. Right? To sign his clipboard. Except he didn't have a clipboard. Or a package.

She stared at the piece of twisted metal and lead that he held in his hand, pointed at her face.

He grabbed her arm, taking advantage of the fact that she was stunned by the gun, turned her around quickly, and she felt it press hard against the back of her head.

"Now you need to tell me-" he stopped suddenly, narrowing his eyes when he saw Kristen, the DVD case in her hands. "Shit. Shit... stupid fucking Pete. Pete!"

Another guy ran in, also brandishing a gun, looking wildly around at his surroundings. "Nice place. I love the decorating." He caught sight of Kristen. "And who is this gorgeous creature?"

The first guy shook his head. "You said you were watching this place. You said she was alone." When he said "she", he waved the gun at Massie, making her flinch at the feeling of the gun moving along her scalp.

Pete looked confused. "I didn't see any other cars. Only that Lexus she drives around. Nothing else. I took a break but there aren't any other cars!"

Massie trembled, trying to block out the conversation they were having. This would be fine. Her dad would make sure she got out alive. They'd get all the money they wanted. She only hoped that they would at least let the others out safely.

"So Massie," said the voice, cold, yet lined with humor. "Any other friends?"

She looked out of the corner of her eye, seeing Kristen, Pete laying a hand on her shoulder and pressing his gun against her back, making her squirm.

"Everyone!" she heard the man behind her yell. "I need you all in here, and bring your shit!"

She let out a shaky breath, concentrating at the obviously dire task at hand. "There's eight more of us."

The gun was pressed harder, and her eyes were pinched as tears began to gather. "Sounds like fun."

**Continue? Delete immediately? C'mon, people, I am really nervous about this story. I need to know what you think.**


	2. Like Many Beginnings, it Hurts

**A/N: Yeah, so I meant to post this one way earlier but with at least two and a half hours of homework each night, student council, babysitting, and that thing called a social life, fanfiction just didn't find time. But... here it is! Enjoy.**

**sarah:** Oh, thanks! I hope it seems interesting and stays that way! And well, I guess I can't delete it, with death threats and all...  
**as the rain falls down: **Awesome! That's my main goal for this story, is to keep suspense and such. I hope you are anxious as it goes on. And thanks for thinking it's better... I really hope it turns out that way.  
**bookloveremma:** Thanks! It makes me so happy that people are willing to review and tell me that! I hope you enjoy that latest update!  
**dodo922: **Oh, trust me, I'm keeping it. And your review helped me decide that! Thanks for already loving it even though you have only read the first chapter, it means a lot!  
**omgitskristen:** Yay! you're excited about a story of mine! Oh, and yeah, it's a problem I have, rushing stories. I just get scared that you guys will think it's boring if I don't. In fact, I'm going over this one to make sure it it's rushed. Hope you like it!  
**eminastorytime:** Gosh, thanks! I will totally continue, 'cause it's really fun to write and all! Thanks for thinking it's pretty good after only reading one chapter.  
**:** Yay! Already hooked you! Oh, and thanks for thinking it's well-written, I try really hard since a lot of stories in the fandom aren't... big pet peeve. And yeah, there's a big thing in the end (spoilers) where I mention that fact that the expensive security system couldn't keep her safe. Hope I didn't tell you too much...  
**rashelleah:** Aw, thanks for loving it! I loved this review. And I'm totally continuing, even though updating quickly can be hard.  
**xgege: **Oh, I'm gonna continue. Thanks for helping convince me to get going... sometimes that one extra review can keep a person truckin' along.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Clique. Any recognizable characters, plotlines, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, i.e., not me.

* * *

_"What happened after you answered the door?" Massie's kind, blond therapist smoothed her hair and poised her pen over her clipboard, eyes deep and warm._

_"What happened? A lot of shit happened. It sucked. It was just the beginning, though. Just the beginning of months worth of hell." Massie paused, getting that familiar feeling of unbelievable cold that swept over her when she remembered._

_"Are you okay?" Patricia leaned forward and placed her hand on Massie's knee._

_"I'm... no. I'm not okay. I don't wanna talk any more." She took her fingers, bloody from the constant nail-biting and cuticle picking, and used them to plug her ears, blocking any words that would be aimed her way. It was the only way to keep everyone from talking to her._

_"Massie. Massie, listen to me." She felt it; Patricia's hand on her shoulder, her knee, pulling her forward for a hug._

_"Don't talk don't talk don't talk! Leave!" The young girl curled herself into a ball and held the hurt inside her._

****

"Lead me to the basement like a good girl, okay?" He pushed the weapon onto a spot that she was sure would be tender for a while after.

His voice held that faux sweetness, a kind of sick thrill he got from this, she thought. Three other guys had entered, and were trailing behind, big black duffel bags hanging from their shoulders. They all looked excited, but sneaky, and she tried really hard to ignore them. Their devious faces hinted at satisfaction, but their careful grins showed that they were prepared for anything. A bunch of teenagers would be a piece of cake.

"So, Jason," started a guy that was in back, "how much do you think Willy Boy paid for this place?"

She felt the gun shake as the man behind her chuckled. "A hundred billion dollars," he said in a voice that made him sound like a fun-loving, nice guy. Not who he clearly was, a disgusting piece of filth who preferred to get his money using deceitful methods. She scrunched her face up for a second, showing her distaste, then resumed her emotionless semblance.

She hated this. She was strong. She was like steel, she could do anything. And all it took was a handful of men to reduce her to a wobbling, scared little girl. Her heels made walking harder, but she refused to bend over and slip them off. That would just be evidence that her weakness was taking her down.

"Perfect for a group of rich kids to party, right?" came another guy. She blinked quickly, unable to comprehend why they would single out her father, her family, her house, this way. So what if they had money? Why did these men need to mock her and her home?

"Ah, yes," said Jason, who was the guy behind her, "so fucking perfect."

The journey down the stairs was slow, with Jason insisting on keeping her in front, leading on unsteady legs and high heels. His chuckles rang through her ears every time she stumbled a little, his tight grip on her arm keeping her from falling into a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"You coming, girls? We want our movie." Derrick's voice was light, happy, unknowing of the situation that lay before them. Her tears finally fell as she imagined one of them dying. No, no, no, that was not going to happen. They would survive.

"Massie, what's going-" Cam paused, seeing Massie's tears, the entourage of men that were behind her. Five of them, all with guns, duffel bags packed with . . . well, she didn't know. She didn't want to know. Speculation would drown her last hopes.

"Look at all of you," Jason said softly. He instantly turned into full commanding mode, voice sharp around the edges. "Check for cell phones. I want all ten phones in a bag within the next twenty seconds. Anyone who does anything with theirs, even touches a single button, gets smacked to the floor."

They were all stunned. Massie was weary, in another world as she was pushed into the group. She quickly went to the back, as far from view of the men as she could be, wedging herself in-between Cam and Alicia. They shook as they pulled their phones from their pockets, dropping them weakly into the hand of the man in front of them.

Jason checked the phones that were dropped in the bag in front of him.

"One, two, three . . . " he silently counted them, then looked up, dangerously assessing them all. "I have nine. Can't you guys do anything right?" He was glaring at the men, who all seemed a little scared.

"She said she didn't have one. Left it upstairs," said a one particularly worried guy, a fidgety one with black hair. Jason gave him a look, then angrily started shoving his way through the group of teenagers, looking them all up and down.

"What the fuck do you mean someone doesn't have one. A bunch of rich teenagers and one doesn't have a cell phone . . . " he was still looking, making sure his gun was in plain view of the kids.

Massie held her hand behind her back, texting with a scared slowness she didn't think existed. Her thumbs shook. She could text faster than any other girl at Octavian Country Day, how wasn't she going quicker? Her hands felt frail.

**Call 911 men in house**

She pressed the send button, then quickly tried to peek at the phone. It wasn't sending . . . god, why couldn't she get decent service in the basement, just once? Why, why, why?

"There you are," Jason grumbled, tearing the phone from her feeble grasp and pushing his thumb down on the red button, canceling the send. The message wouldn't go. There was no hope.

The side of her face exploded, her brain fuzzily realizing that he had smacked her with the hand holding the gun. Her cheekbone throbbed as she whimpered, still managing to stand.

Then again, he hit her, on the other side, backhanding her. She let out a scream this time, falling to the floor and holding both sides of her face. She tried not to cry, she held back the tears and swallowed the lump in her throat but they came anyway. They were like rivers, never-ending, dripping onto the delicate fabric of her peach-colored Trina Turk ruffle top.

"I said I'd smack you to the floor. Now does anyone else have doubts about what I'm willing to do? Anyone else wants to be the hero?"

Massie tried to breathe, taking uneven breaths and blinking until the stars disappeared. Cam stood in front of her, hand over his mouth, and Derrick was lowering himself to the ground. Claire was crying while Kristen buried her head in her shoulder, and Alicia and Dylan were wrapping their arms around Josh and Plovert.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked Derrick. Derrick looked at him, defiant, while kneeling where Massie was sitting on the floor. She wiped the tears from her eyes and attempted to gain composure.

"You just hit her! You could have broken her cheekbone with the gun! I'm trying to see if she's fine." His voice cracked on "fine". Jason rolled his eyes, walking back to where the other men stood, amused looks on their faces.

"So I'm betting that this one will be Mr. Noble, while these other guys pussy out," said a red-haired guy Massie would soon learn was named Frank. He itched the left side of his face with the gun, a sinister smile on his face.

Pete looked at them. "And I think she'll be the one to sacrifice everyone else for her own safety." He nodded his head toward Alicia, making eye-contact with her and winking.

A blond guy laughed. "Well they are all very pretty, I'll say that. Hey, redhead!"

Dylan turned toward him slowly, wiping her mascara-stained cheeks and praying he wouldn't point that stupid weapon at her.

"Does the carpet match the drapes?" his comical voice cackled, and they all laughed. Plovert seethed, stepping forward to hold her hand. She shivered. Suddenly, it was cold. The air was frigid, fear raising goosebumps and their mean, degrading words cutting through the air.

That's how it would be, then, Massie thought. These guys could make their jokes and we'd all sit here, crying and being scared and holding on to each other. This was the night she had been looking forward to, and for what?

Derrick brushed her hair out of her face, then grabbed her shoulders and tried to guide her to the carpeted floor.

"What?"

"Lie down," he ordered, sternly but softly.

She rested her head on his sweatshirt, which he balled up and set on the floor. Slowly he lifted his finger and pressed on her cheek. The pain welled up and made her eyes water. Her face felt huge.

"Ow! Jesus . . ! Get your hand off of me." She didn't mean to yell, but the shock of how much it hurt and the embarrassment from crying in front of everyone was making her angry.

He looked up and rolled his eyes at the guys, then looked back down at her. "It's too swollen to tell what's going on. Can we at least get some ice?"

Jason blinked, suddenly snapping out of his own thoughts. "Kev, take the blondie up and find some ice."

He then grinned, glancing at his watch. "Now let's make sure you don't have any other technology stuffed in those overpriced pockets."


	3. True to it's Roots, the Evil Strikes

**A/N: Le siento, amigas. I'm so sorry for this being so late. I really need to get better at this. Hm... eh. Whatever. 2 hours of homework, along with making food for my grandma, who just got surgery on her back, is cutting into my life. But the updates will become more frequent! I promise.**

**omgitskristen: **I'm glad you like it so much that you're willing to insert profanity into perfectly innocent statements(: And I wasn't too worried about you saying stuff about being careful not to rush it, I love criticism. It really helps with the writing. Thanks for reviewing!  
**rashelleah:** I'm happy you appreciate the long chapters! I try really hard to not just give people tiny snippets of stories. And you think it's great, which is awesome! Thanks for reviewing, I really do love that.  
**ily:** Right, she will be okay. And yay for liking Derrick! He'd gonna play a big part in the end, so... keep reading! Thanks for reviewing!  
**ohmyitsdani:** Thanks for thinking that was a wicked chapter! I try my best. Oh, and your supposed to feel bad for Massie(: Haha, and that sentence that you liked? I killed myself wondering if I should stick it in or not, and I did! And you liked it! Which makes me feel so much better. Thanks for reviewing.  
**love never fails:** Awh, thanks! To hear someone say such a rad thing about a story I'm writing makes me smile. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

_"When they hit me... I don't know, it happened, but I'd done something that they hadn't liked. But when they hit Claire, it was worse. She was just there and he picked her, you know? She didn't even do anything. She was just crying and scared and he decided that he'd be mean to her. It was then that I realized that there was just bad people in the world. The guns didn't make me think that; but them hitting her for no reason... that was what made me so mad."_

_Massie wiped her eyes and sucked on a new mint, which she pulled out of the tin in her pocket. "And then, later, when they shot Der-"_

_"Let's take it one event at a time, okay, Massie? Let's go slow."_

_"Okay." She exhaled a minty breath. "So they searched us for other things in the basement."_

_****_

"Okay, I want all of you up against the wall, hands where I can see them. Kind of like we're the police, and you're under arrest. That ever happen to you guys?"

They were all quiet, instead choosing to simply follow his directions. It was obvious that Jason was the leader and completely ruthless, while the others acted as accomplices, giving the occasional gross or snide comment. The less conversation that they would have to make, the better.

"Aw, come on," said Frank, "bunch of spoiled kids never got in trouble? Not that daddy wouldn't fix it all up right away, huh?"

Alicia grumbled, sensitive to those kind of comments on account of her father being a lawyer. Claire sniffed loudly, the only one who was currently still sobbing. Massie was crying, but was careful to stay quiet and be unnoticed.

"You too. I said all of you," Jason grumbled, looking down at Massie. She was pressing the ice to her face, reveling in the cool comfort it brought.

"She needs to lie down," Derrick informed him, obviously forgetting the fact that they had guns.

"You too. I said all of you." Jason's voice didn't waver as he repeated the phrase, eyes looking bored. He motioned towards the black-haired guy. "Brad. Help me out."

Brad was smooth with his actions, like Jason, preferring to do what he had to do quickly, without getting his hands messy. He wasn't into the slow jobs. The mere fact that they'd be holding on to this Massie girl for the next few weeks pissed him off to no end. But, he held a grudge against William Block too, so exceptions had been made.

He yanked Derrick up in one swift motion, slamming him against the wall. Derrick was insistent in his resisting, and Brad had to grab both his hands and position them on the wall before stepping towards Massie.

A few tears still streamed down her cheeks, but as she frantically dried them, they kept coming. Her face felt huge, still throbbing. She wouldn't even imagine what she looked like right now.

Brad was more gentle in picking her up, taking her hand and helping her stand. He smiled, and it was then she noticed how cute he was.

"Let's take the heels off, shall we?" he said softly, voice low. Jason was getting annoyed, but he didn't really care. Jason, he could handle. Jason smacking a teenage girl to the ground? That... wasn't really in the description of this job.

She shook her head, refusing to give up the shoes. She would not, not, not admit total defeat yet. But he had soft eyes and convincing words.

"C'mon, your feet probably hurt. And you can put them back on when your balance is better."

He did make a point... her toes were especially pinched in these ones, the Manolos that her mother had given her as an early birthday present. She was pretty much against wearing heels in the house like this too, deeming it lame, but she had to wear them before some LBR showed up with them at some party. It would be a total waste of a birthday present if that happened.

And her balance was pretty bad right now. With her head hurting, temples poking out like she was some pissed-off character in an anime cartoon, she felt her vision blurring every time another thump reverbrated through her skull.

She wasn't even conscious of it, when she slipped off the shoes. She was simply giving in and quitting, sort of. She'd be able to show her defiance in other ways.

Brad then pushed her into the wall, not necessarily nicely, which made her jump. Her face almost hit the wall, but her hands stopped it just in time. Jason snickered.

"He isn't nice, Massie," he said. "Don't be fooled by the cute face. And he just didn't want you kicking him with the five-inch heels."

She couldn't take this. She wouldn't take this. They were acting sweet and manipulating her, drowning her psychologically.

Confused, she whipped her head around to search out Brad's face, and jumped. He was standing directly behind her.

"Search 'em," came Jason's voice. "I want everything. Hair ties, hair clips, key chains, iPods, PalmPilots, PDAs. Everything. Anyone wearing a belt, we will take it, along with scarves worn as belts. Also, jewelry. Earrings, belly-button piercings, nose piercings," he tapped Alicias back. She was wearing a shirt that exposed her new naval jewelry. "And tongue rings. I don't think any of you were wearing those. Or eyebrow piercings. Everything can be used as a weapon. Necklaces, bracelets, anything on the ankles."

He stopped his pacing and turned to the guys. "Put your guns down, check 'em, and immediately get them back. I'll watch to make sure none of them try any funny business."

The other men did what they were told, and Massie suddenly felt hands on her waist.

"You aren't hiding anything, are ya, Massiegirl?" She recognized Brad's sweet voice. It seemed out of place, the nice voice and fun words, along with the gun and his fingers, roaming freely over her chest. She shuddered, inhaling sharply.

When she turned her head, she could see the other girls doing the same thing while the guys snickered. Her boys, though, the soccer boys, were watching the girls get felt up with contempt sitting upon their faces.

Jason noticed all of this, and sighed. "Don't girls like to keep things in their bras?"

Claire sniffed loudly next to Massie, trembling wildly as Pete started at her ankles and slowly ran his hands up each leg. A tears escaped, falling on the carpet beneath her.

And then, they were done. Just like that. The girls only had a few bobby pins and hair binders taken from them. Derrick had an iPod Touch taken, but it didn't get internet service in Massie's basement anyway, so it wouldn't have helped much. Cam and Kemp had belts, and Kristen had a hair clip that Pete had decided was "dangerous".

They all searched for the source of a noise when Alicia whimpered, and were shocked to see that Frank was still "searching" her. When he finally finished, he got jealous looks from all his friends.

"You fucking scum," she spat, eyes showing clear submission. Jason tsked.

"Okay, I for one am not liking those kind of words, especially from such a pretty mouth." He walked past all the girls, pacing thoughtfully. Nobody had taken their hands off the wall yet, still scared of making any movement.

"What's your name, gorgeous?" he said, and Massie could hear Claire taking a hand down, wiping her eyes.

"Cl-aire," she whispered. Her eyes were trained on the gun, which Jason casually waved around as he talked.

"Ah. Pretty. I supposed people call you Claire-Bear?"

She wasn't sure what this was all about. She didn't _want_ to know what this was all about. But he was asking questions and she found herself really, really scared of what could happen if she didn't answer.

"Yes," she said, and felt stupid. What kind of question was that?

Jason put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump about a foot vertically.

"Don't be scared," he said softly. A few people over, Cam was now standing up straight, watching the two of them, the message in his eyes clear: don't touch her. "So I find that when it's for somebody else's safety, people tend to shut up," he began. They didn't do anything, trying to grasp his words. He found this out? How many times had he done this?

"So every time you kids act unsatisfactory, Claire-Bear's gonna get it, okay?"

This was sick. This was a sick game, and soon it would be over, right? There wasn't a group of dangerous men standing in Massie's basement, pointing guns like this was a child's war game. This was not happening. Tomorrow, probably, Massie would wake up and tell her friends about this crazy dream, and they'd all laugh at the names. Pete? Frank?

"But," Pete chimed in, the anticipation tipping his voice, "I think we should demonstrate. To get our point across. And someone did act, um, unsatisfactory, so-"

"Oh, Pete, you just like watching people get hurt," chimed Brad, eyes gleaming. What?

"You guys know how I hate to hit girls. Especially when they're so... young." His hand still sat on Claire's shoulder, tightly keeping her in place. She tried to keep her eyes on the plant that sat in the corner of the room, to block out the harsh reality.

They laughed, and Massie could feel their eyes on her, trying to see if she still had a swollen face.

"You do make a point, though," he said, softer, as if contemplating. "You certainly do."

The silence made their ears scream, their hearts pound, their pity for Claire building because, in a way, they all knew what he would ultimately decide.

"Everyone turn towards me," he said in his deep voice, grabbing the attention of the nine other scared teenagers.

And then his fist connected with Claire's stomach, sending her into a coughing fit and causing Cam to tackle Jason with an unknown strength.

This wasn't good. This. Was. Not. Good.


	4. Holding Hands is Currently Not Available

A/N: Long time without updating, I know. One word: depression.

Your reviews:

**cheercia:D:** Oh, I know, updating more often would rock so hard. I'm gonna try to do it two more times before Friday because I have been neglecting this story lately. and, hey, thanks for loving it so far! I know it isn't that eventful, and it won't get super duper crazy, but whatever. I still hope you love it(: And Derrick dying? Well, you'll have to find out, my friend.  
**omgitskristen:** Oh, I know. And I hate just throwing out excuses. I'm so bad at long chapters, it's horrible! But whatever. I'll try to update twice by Friday, just because I've been a sucky updater since this story began. Hee, continue with the awesome reviews!  
**emeraldeyes101:** Oh, they are all kind of stupid. The "spoiled rich kid" mentality they all have with make their time difficult, I tell you. And I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I'm totaly gonna get better as I write a new fic at the same time. Keep reviewing(:  
**littlemisstroublee:** Oh, gosh, thanks yous! I have never been in a situation like this, so I'm so happy you think I'm correct in this. I try. Ad I've done a LOT of editing(: And I'm an amazing writer?!?! Oh, wow. And tips? Write, write, write! I look at my old penname on a different fandom and it was all so terrible, but you get better as you keep going. And I'm starting to check out your stories, and they are CERTAINLY not too shabby(:  
**prettybaby182:** Ha, I don't have words for that awesome review! Thanks for liking it. I hope you stick with me even thought my updates have been less-than frequent. I'm just bad that way. I hope I keep writing too... I have about six fics I've started, didn't finish, and haven't posted. Thanks for the review(:  
**soccergrrl62:** Oh, thanks yous! I love when someone loves my work! And I TOTALLY will continue, I just need to update better:P Thanks for reviewing, and if you review again, thanks for sticking with me(:  
**ohmyitsdani:** It gets better and better? Oh, thats so nice. I have actually finished it, it just needs major editing done. The ending is pretty much my most favorite chapter ever ever ever. I need to update quicker so you can read that. And yes, I feel bad too. But things are going to get much worse for Massie before this is over.  
**rashelleah:** Oh, thanks for loving it! I love this review, and especially that constructive criticism. I will totally keep writing, and tried to add more description(: I hope this update is to your liking.  
**likewow5556:** Thats what I strive for - interesting ideas. I don't want to write a story you've seen a million times. And thanks! I will totally try to update at least twice by Friday, since I've sucked on updating this. I hope you stick with the story anyway!  
**iluvbooks:** thanks for loving it! Even if you only have that to say, I still love the review, so keep it coming! And the update didn't exactly come soon, but whatever, sometimes problems like my depression have to come first, you know? But I totally am going to update twice by Friday(:

* * *

"What were your thoughts throughout this?" Patricia, as soft and gentle as she could be, could also be straight to the point. It was what Massie liked, the no-bullshitting. She'd been lied to about her life, and now only wanted truthful questions and truthful answers. She tried to answer Patricia every time she fired a question like this at her.

Massie pursed her lips, blank mind almost forgetting to answer. Her thoughts? Hurting. Threatening. Dread. Fear. Knowing.

"I think I was just out of control. I hated not having a grip on ths situation." She knew she'd have to explain more. Patricia always asked her to. It felt like she was letting go of every little bit of bad when she did that.

"As in?" Her pencil stood, poised, over the notepad, her bright eyes waiting patiently for another answer.

"As in," Massie took a deep breath. "As in, knowing he'd broken down all our defenses. And the whole time, he was just planning on killing me."

Planning on killing her. She hated admitting that. Jason had been planning on killing her the whole time.

Maybe that had hurt the most.

***

"_Everyone turn towards me," he said in his deep voice, grabbing the attention of the nine other scared teenagers._

_And then his fist connected with Claire's stomach, sending her into a coughing fit and causing Cam to tackle Jason with an unknown strength._

_This wasn't good. This. Was. Not. Good._

Jason, unaware that Cam would be so bold as to tackle him, fell tot he ground with a thud and a grunt. His gun came loose from his grip, but before anyone could register that Brad was slamming his foot down on top of it to keep young hands from grabbing hold. Massie watched, as if detached, looking like a zombie. Pete was wrenching Cam's hands from Jason's throat, yanking him into a standing position, ten shoving his into the group of boys. Cam quickly regained his footing and glared, but Chris's hand on his shoulder kept him from making another stupid move.

Jason stood up, rubbing his hand over his face. Massie felt all the muscles in her body clench, knowing that this didn't mean any good to them.

After a few coughs, Jason snatched his gun from under Brad's foot and looked at the group of, now more scared than ever, teens. The froze, as if his one look could paralyze them all.

"What the fuck?" he said abruptly, making Kristen and Claire jump. Claire was now breathing deeply, shooting Cam looks for being "noble". His words, so sharp and abrupt, made everyone's muscles clench.

"Are you... are any of you fucking retarded? Because you don't seem to listen. Or obey. And..." his words trailed off as he rubbed his forehead, gun at his side. "I can't trust you guys. Not that I was ever able to trust anyone." Massie wanted to roll her eyes. Jason, apparently, didn't know the first thing about trust. And he never would. That was difference, why she would win this. Because she knew what love was. And he didn't know the first thing about consideration.

Pete, catching on, leaned down and grabbed a duffel bag, holding it up and raising his eyebrows in silent question.

"Yeah," Jason said gruffly, "secure them. Good thing we brought extra duct tape."

The girls sighed, absently pursing their lips and shooting looks at Cam. The guys just stared at the floor, accepting their fate.

Frank stepped in front of them, grinning. "All of you, hold your hands together, behind your back. Palms flattened together, along with fingers. Backwards prayer position." their words, seasoned with experience and said as if practiced, made everyone comply with a sort of shiver.

Each of the men grabbed a roll of duct tape, starting with the guys. They did as they were told, putting their hands behind their backs. Seeing the normally headstrong boys look so resigned in the face of a crisis made Massie want to cry.

The girls were pretty easy too, except for Dylan.

"I don't get it. Why can't you just tape our wrists? Why do you have to do the prayer thing?" She still obviously didn't understand that arguing was, quite possibly, the worst thing she could do at the moment. Everyone looked alarmed as she continued to put up a fight. The term "fiery redhead" used to be a term of endearment, but now it was just putting them in danger.

Jason sighed, exasperated.

"Because it keeps your fingers from moving. You can't do anything then." He looked like he expected this, almost, but that wouldn't lessen the punishment of resisting.

She rolled her eyes. "But seriously, I don't even know why you would tape my hands anyway. I mean, I'm not even a threat. The guys are, but-"

Brad slapped his hands together in the way they were supposed to be, giving her a "shut up and listen" look. She quickly did as she was told, forgetting the fight she wanted to put up. Maybe it was the way his gun caught the light at that exact moment. Massie didn't care enough to ask.

As soon as Claire's hands were secured, along with Cam's, Jason roughly pulled her towards him.

"Oh, and..." he scratched his head and gestured towards Cam, grip on Claire's arm firm. "Your name?"

Cam looked at the floor, refusing to answer. Massie couldn't believe his stupidity. Her eyes shot daggers towards him, begging him to just understand that he was making this difficult.

"Someone tell me this kid's name." He held on to Claire's arm tighter, holding it higher in the air to remind them of the agreement. (Or, more appropriately, disagreement.)

"Cam," Massie murmured quickly, eyes on the floor. She didn't want to see Claire hurt again.

"Ah, Cam." He turned to Massie. "Thanks, sweetheart. So, Cammie-boy, you did tackle me. And I said that any wrong moves would not be good for Claire, here."

Cam looked up quickly, taking in his words. Claire's eyes were huge, knowing the full extent of his words.

Pete nodded, getting enjoyment from seeing Cam so angry. "Correct, J. Cam showed complete disregard for your rules." Dylan scoffed, lightly, barely being heard, but they all glanced at her for a second.

Jason nodded. "So I think it's only right." He quickly whipped Claire through the air, throwing her against the wall where she slid down, landing on the carpet. Frank was holding Cam's arms, restraining the boy as he fought to get to Claire. Kristen whimpered, ready to pass out from her sheer terror.

"Settle down," Pete said with a laugh. Cam looked ready to kill. "She's fine. Even if her hands couldn't block the hit," he acknowledged, making Cam's eyes tear up with the realization.

They were in deep shit.

One of the guys, with hair that was also black like Brad's, stepped forward. "Sir, I hear a dog barking."

Jason listened quietly for a second, then shrugged. "Just go and bring it down here. Find a leash, too. By the front door, I assume."

The guy looked worried for a second, then shyly asked, "What if it's a big dog?"

Pete shook his head. "For God's sake, Kevin, it's a pug." He laughed at Kevin, trying to meet Jason's eyes with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, laugh it up, Pete," Jason said, irritated. "Because you actually noticed how big the dog was. You did, however, fail to fucking notice the extra nine teenagers in the house, though. Stupid moron."

Pete stopped laughing instantly, turning red and pretending to be very busy with his gun.

They suddenly all turned their attention towards Kristen, who let out a loud, giant sob as if the situation was finally catching up with her. Frank tapped his leader on the shoulder.

"Uh, J, should we shut her up?"

He shrugged. "This place is soundproof. I think." He turned to Massie, a questioning look on his face.

She nodded, resolutely.

"It doesn't really matter."

Frank tapped his foot impatiently. "But I can't stand it. The crying, it pisses me off. So damn much."

Jason's shoulders sagged as he rubbed his eyes. "Get the fuck over it. We don't need to gag them until someone needs some sleep, okay?"

Frank walked away quickly, trying to avoid a long lecture, eyes rolling as if Jason was just an annoying, overbearing parent.

"Liquor. You got lots of it?" His question wasn't necessarily directed towards anyone in particular, but he definitely needed an answer.

Massie gestured her head towards the large cabinet that sat behind the bar, and looked away, hoping he wasn't a mean drunk. That would be the icing on this cake. He looked pleased, and visibly relaxed.

"Ah, wonderful. So much of it, too." He looked ready to thank God as he clinked through the bottles, searching for his favorite.

"I'm always in the mood for a black Russian. So cheesy, an old person drink, I agree. But there's something about them..." he busied himself, pouring it all into a hard-bottomed glass, no ice. The other men got to preparing their own drinks, dismissing Jason's rant.

"You boys make your own thing," he quipped, gun pointed at the kids, a kind of warning. "I'll watch them."

Of course, there wasn't much to watch, seeing as they were sufficiently taped to the point where cliche movie stunts couldn't let them escape. Frank, not ready to liquor up just yet, checked different surfaces in the room, making sure the edges weren't too sharp. Nobody was going to escape.

"This the key to the booze?" Frank asked. He held up the little gold key, and pocketed it when Massie nodded. "We can't have anyone using glass to cut through the tape, can we?"

Nobody answered. Nobody knew what to say. Because it was true.

That was probably the scariest part, the fact that they were so smart. This wasn't a movie, filled with clueless villains. They wouldn't think of a clever way to get out of this, complete with funny remarks and happy dances. They would have to listen to these men and hope for the best, because that was all they had. Hope.

Eventually, everyone had to kick off their shoes, which were also thrown in a duffel bag. And then the real questions began.

"Parents will be out for three weeks, am I correct?" was Jason's first question. Massie snapped from the daydreaming doze she'd fallen into.

"Yeah."

Kendra and William Block had decided that their fifteenth wedding anniversary called for major celebration. Of course, for them that doesn't just mean a nice dinner and a night out. It mean a three week vacation in which William forgot about business and they relaxed. It was initially inspired him to install and upgrade the security system. As much as he wanted thoughts of home to be farthest from his mind, he always wanted her to be safe.

"Call me if an emergency occurs," he'd said as she kissed him goodbye.

Well, dad, Massie thought now, this is the emergency. I need your help. And nothing is going to save me now.

Jason smiled appreciatively, nodding. "Pete was right. Good thing we tapped your phone lines."

That was creepy. Along with hearing them mention that "Lexus that she drove around" or that they "didn't see any other kids". The thought of being watched while she blissfully enjoyed her time without her parents made her shiver. This could happen again, at any time, and she probably still wouldn't know.

"And that maid... Eenez?"

"Inez."

He grinned. "Ah. Right. Inez. She's visiting family for the next two weeks. Doesn't she do that yearly?"

It was then that Massie realized how big of trouble she was in. Her parents didn't even really need a phone call every night. And all Inez needed was a simple note and she wouldn't think of Massie until her parents arrived home.

Frank gulped down a large portion of his brandy seven, then set it down on the bar. "What the hell are we doing with them?" He looked at the nine extra kids ruefully, rubbing the skin behind his ear, crinkling his eyes.

Jason was smiling, full-on, now. He licked his lips.

"Easy. We set them free. And we keep Massiegirl here. They won't say a thing to the police, will they?"

Alicia and Josh's eyes met, while Kemp glanced at the clock. It was clear that they had every intention of contacting the cops as soon as they had the chance.

"Because you've all seen me do what I want to do." He stared pointedly at Massie, who still had cheekbones twice their normal size.

And then they all understood. The sickening feeling of helplessness sunk in. The fact that they actually planned on taking Massie hadn't even registered yet.

"And we have guns. And, here's the real zinger, I also have money. Lots of fuckin' money. So I don't care if Willy pays up or not. I can kill her either way."

That's when the real fear set in. Deep in her gut, an ache the rivaled the worst of cramps. Her head whizzed with thoughts of never seeing her parents again. The cold sweat that permeated her designer top became hot. They wouldn't take her, would they? Were they really like that?

"Wait," she mumbled, barely coherent. "You have money? Then why are you... why are you doing this?"

He didn't look happy with her question. He looked pissed that she would even dare ask, but answered anyway.

"Because William Block is the biggest traitor I have ever met. This is just a royal way of saying "Kiss my ass". And you're his only child, his little girl. What better way to-"

"Your fucking sick," she said softly. She didn't sound bitter, or angry, or bitchy. She was only confused that people like this actually existed. Her voice held every bit of the horrible feeling she had: defeat.

Jason was irritated, and for a second she had the deep fear that he would hit someone again, but then he let out a long breath. Massie felt the tiniest bit of relief, even though it only lasted a second. He waved his gun around casually as he spoke, knowing full well that everybody was staring at that and only that.

"I'd do something drastic to freak you all out, but I deserve that. What I didn't deserve, though, was your Daddy's skeevy business schemes." He, on the other hand, sounded like a man who had his whole future ahead of him, but refused to enjoy it. His bitterness held him back, that much was obvious.

Massie turned her attention to Brad, who was sipping at his brandy with the lightest of grins on his face. All the kids were leaning on one another, sniffling while the guys assured the girls that it would be fine. Because it would be fine, right?

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**End Notes: **Review? I'm totally gonna update on like Tuesday or Wednesday(:


	5. It's Like Greeting the Gun

**A/N: I kept my promise! You owe me... a thousand reeses peanut butter cups! Oh, wait... I'm trying to lose weight:P**

**Your reviews:**

**loveneverfails:** Is is bad that I'm happy that your scared? That was my goal - to make you understand the characters. I'd glad you are really feelin' it! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really do appreciate it.  
**omgitskristen:** Psh, and I totally updated again! I'm so... proud of myself. Haha thanks for loving it! I feel so happy when people actually genuinely like my stories. And yeah, we all hate Jason. He gets worse, trust me.  
**ohmyitsdani:** I loved this review! Because my goal was surprises and suspense - and you apparently got both of that! Thanks for loving this(: I'm happy you feel bad for them... even if that sounds wrong. It means my writing is working. And yeah, it's unfair. But in the end, it'll be moooore than fair! Thanks for reviewing(:  
**littlemisstroublee:** No problem! Although I don't beta-read I love to help out other writers any way I can. And Yes, I totally updated. And I plan to keep updating. I am thinking of major changes in the next chapter - not sure though. Stay tuned! Thanks for sticking with this story and reviewing(:  
**me:** Creepy was what I was going for! I'm happy your thinking this is good - I always like to hear that someone actually, genuinely, liked what I wrote. Thanks for reviewing! Even if it's short, I like to hear your thoughts!  
**anonymous:** First, thanks for reviewing! And thanks for the constructive criticism. I understand what your thinking - I was questioning the believability of this story too. I hope that some of the reasoning works out, in the next chapter. Again, thanks for reviewing! I'd love to hear your thoughts again.

* * *

Jason got fed up with the questions around two in the morning.

She'd been asking constantly, from the moment they all started to slightly relax. Why was he doing this? What was his motive? If he had money, then was it just plain revenge? What had happened to provoke this? Was her father really such a bad guy, in Jason's eyes? Was it just Jason, or all these men who held a grudge?

Her last question had pushed him.

"Do you have any kids?"

He'd slapped the piece of tape over her mouth, then another, because, as he explained quietly, one piece never works. The movies tend to lie about those sort of things.

She didn't think she'd ever need to know that. If he hadn't made talking impossible, she would have told him she didn't care.

Everyone else was dozing, barely. Fitful rests, as they struggled to lay against one another. Dylan was scrunched between Plovert and Josh. Alicia was laying her head on Josh's shoulder, and his head rested on hers. Cam and Claire were leaning against the wall, Cam in the corner while Claire used him as a chair, practically. Kristen and Kemp were side-by-side, their shoulders touching, while Derrick sat, slumped against the wall. It was unsettling, their defeated, tired poses. Massie found in hard to even think about sleeping when they had the blank weariness in their eyes. Their sporadic chest motions told her that they were having fitful dreams. Even sleep couldn't take them away from the harrowing reality.

Bean was being fidgety, after Kevin had brought her downstairs. Her occasional whines were signs she the was aware of the tension in the room. Massie breathed softly, as if the constant and even white noise would soothe the pug. It helped, but not much.

Jason and Kevin were the only ones awake. All of the men were on the couch, the other three sprawled out and sleeping while Jason and Kevin watched some James Bond movie. Massie had sat herself on the floor, leaning against the couch, so she could watch it too. James Bond was lame and pathetic, the special effects stupid, but her mind didn't wander to misery when she kept focused on the ugly guy's plot to destroy the world (or something like that).

Without being able to sleep, or even somewhat drift off, the night had proved incredibly boring.

Of course, even though in any normal situation she would be studying up on how Pierce Brosnan, her favorite Bond, managed to get hotter with age, she had some other business that needed to be taken care of. Now. The kind of urgency that even an armed kidnapper can't ignore.

Carefully, she stuck out her toes and poked Jason's leg. He didn't respond, taking a sip of Red Bull and keeping his eyes on the screen. She grumbled lightly, rolling her eyes at how childish he was acting.

She did it again, poking him harder, not caring that the rough denim of his jeans could wear down the tips of her manicure. There were bigger issues to worry about... like her bladder.

He was being very persistent about this ignoring thing.

So she poked him again. Then a fourth time. Right before she was about to full-on kick his leg to get his attention, he bent down in a flash and grabbed her ankle. She felt her nostrils flare are she quickly let out a breath, surprised at his quickness.

"Need something?" He held an easy grin that could have been, in another world, cute. She forced herself to focus on the rather exploding topic at hand.

She raised her cleanly plucked brows, refusing to make any noise until he removed the tape from her mouth. She was so not going to making those stupid _mmm_ noises that the damsels in distress always made in movies. He looked impatient, but she could tell he was getting a kick out of this.

"I'm sorry, I can't - did you say something, or...?" If he was being immature before, it had reached an all-time high. But he was clearly enjoying this.

She glared, grumbling lowly in her throat, He used his other hand, the one that wasn't holding her ankle, and tore the tape off enough so she could talk. It still hung on, though, probably so he could push it back into place when she was done talking.

"I have to pee."

He looked off in the direction of a sleeping Brad, then sighed. "Now?"

She didn't change her facial expression. "Duh, now. Why would I tell you that I have to pee _later_?"

Jason looked ready to smack her for being so sarcastic and bitchy, but, like that phrase she'd been told since forever, you get what you give. "Fine." He rose up smoothly, letting her ankle go so it fell to the carpet with a muted thump. She felt his hands grasp her forearms, pulling her up efficiently. She

"Be quick. And don't try anything stupid, okay? I haven't fired a shot yet and if we could make a clean getaway, that'd be awesome." The way he spoke to her, it was like they were a team, working together. She bit her lip and wondered if there was a way she could royally fuck up his plans. Nope.

She nodded quickly, eyes wide and submissive. That was the worst part, the giving up.

He cut the tape binding her wrists and let her go to the bathroom in peace. As soon as she got herself into the small room, she collapsed on the floor.

Okay. So the was being held hostage in her own home. Bad. Her friends were involved. Bad. They had guns. Bad bad bad.

Assessing the situation? No help at all.

She went to the bathroom quickly and stepped out, breathing a sigh or relief that she'd gotten the chance to do that.

He taped her hands again quickly and sighed.

"I need a fuckin' smoke," he muttered, barely making a sound. She lightly kicked a cabinet behind the bar, where her father's cigars sat. "Thanks," he said softly and grabbed one, lighting it within about three seconds.

It was silent for a long time, the TV a bare hum. He smoked with a grateful expression on his face, tapping it over the ashtray that sat by the couch. It felt wrong to see him doing that, as it was her father's spot. He was the one who could do that, when she would slip downstairs to watch a movie with him. They'd curl up on that couch, her head on his shoulder, the soft smell of the Cuban he smoked. During intense parts, she'd clutch his arm and he's grin, tapping it over the ashtray silently.

Jason did not deserve to do that sort of thing.

"Yes!" she heard from Kevin, when the clock turned to three AM. "Sleep," he said in a resigned, exhausted voice. They woke the other three, taking their place to get a few hours of rest. Massie stayed against the wall, pretending to be asleep, so they wouldn't take advantage of her bing awake and taunt her.

She never did actually find rest, though. Brad came up to her for a while, whispering things she could barely understand, trying to get a rise out of her or to prove she wasn't really sleeping. She kept her breathing steady, though, and didn't let her eyes flicker, even when he said that her father was a worthless friend. The hate they had surrounding her father made her uneasy, but she knew what she knew - there was always more to the story.

Frank had drank a rather large amount before light came, that was for sure. And Pete was unbelievably obsessed with movies played on the FX.

She wanted them to leave.

That was the problem. She wanted them gone, gone so far that they wouldn't be able to watch her or listen to her phone calls or known when her parents went on a vacation.

Around seven, there was noise.

"Everyone, wake up, wake up, we're got some business to take care of."

She stood with everyone else, looking at them and shrugging worriedly, with the same "I don't know do you know?" look on her face. Brad had torn off the tape about an hour earlier, when she went into a coughing fit and needed a way to breathe other than her nose.

"You," said Pete, pointing at her. "I'm taking you up to your room. You need to pack a bag."

And then they were ushering everyone upstairs, crowding them into a tight circle in the expansive kitchen.

Pete tugged her towards the stairs, to her room. She pulled pack, away, refusing to go.

"Where are we going? Why do I need to pack?"

They'd mentioned her leaving before. They's told her, clear as day, that she would be taken with them. But her mind hadn't let it really register, as if simply knowing that would damage her. Now, with them ordering her to pack a bag and the sun having finally risen, the truth was finally hitting her. She was not going to stay here. It was obvious, and had been obvious. What would be the point of leaving the kids alone now? They hadn't gotten what they wanted.

Did they want her?

She resisted Pete's hand on her arm. "No."

He huffed impatiently, trying to tug her again, but she was firm. Then, she screamed. It was weak and soft, but her air felt constricted and her mind was fuzzy. Was this what a panic attack felt like?

"I'm not going!"

Then she heard the click of the gun.

"And I'm ready to fire this on your attractive blond friend. Listen to Pete, okay?"

Jason stood in front of her, holding Derrick arm and pushing the gun crudely into his neck.

"Don't shoot! Gawd, I just - I just need to know where I'm going. Don't shoot him."

It was a massive fight in her mind - her natural survival instinct kicking in, a fight or flight attitude, and the horrible fact that saving Derrick meant sacrificing herself.

"Go upstairs and pack a bag." Fight or flight.

"No! Tell me-"

BAM!

* * *

**End Notes:** Meloves the suspense. Review(: Updated by Friday, I promisepromisepromise.


	6. Bite Your Lip Harder, Sweetie

**A/N: Just read. I hate this chapter, writing-wise. Ugh ugh ugh.**

**Awesometastical reviews!**

**loveneverfails:** I am insanely proud that I almost killed you with an almost heart attack. Not that, you know, I want to kill you. Because I don't. Or do I? Just kidding. Or not? Haha, thanks for reviewing.  
**toolazytologin:** Did he die? Well, you'll see! And ha, I'm not killing you, I'm killing Derrick. Or am I? I'm totally getting better about updating(: Oh, and thanks yous so darn much! I cna't believe this might be your fave story up right now! Ahh! Thanks for reviewing!  
**ily:** Ha, you yes he did! I am trying so hard to do the suspense right and haven't done a lot, like, at ALL so I'm happy you are likin' it! And I totally LOVE that you were in shock! I really wanted to shock and horrify people with the ending, as bad as that sounds! Thanks for reviewing!  
**c-cloud:** Okay, so I won't tell you that Derrick is dead. I surely won't tell you that he's alive, either(: Oh, and I'm happy you like the original pairings. I'm starting to dive into crackier things, but for stories like this I like originals. Thanks for reviewing!  
**littlemisstroublee:** You are officially my favorite reviewer! Ah, comments like this make me smile(: I'm sooo happy you love it! Feel free to keep telling me! Haha, and I totally kept my updating promise!  
**ohmyitsdani:** Well, if you need to know SO BAD, then read the chapter! And yeah, I'll be a little spoiler and say that Massie gets a happy ending, in a way. I couldn't end it too badly. I mean, come on, I'm not a monster... hehe. I plan on working on the next chapter tonight! Thanks for reviewing(:  
**likewow5556: **Oh, thankyou thankyou thankyou(: I like it when people are enthusiastic about my stories! And that you can't wait! Ah, that's why I love suspense. I plan on getting right on the next chapter, so your wait shouldn't be too long! Thanks for reviewing.  
**omgitskristen: **I totallytotallytotally updated this by Friday! Even if it's evening... And send Jason on me? Really? Honey, I WROTE Jason. And I will write him until he is destroyed(: And you know what? Responding to rambly reviews is no problem. I actually kinda love the reviews(:  
**chicballerina:** Oh, yay! You like it alot! I'm so happy you reviewed! Even if you don't have a lot to say, I love to get the reviews! And yeah, I'm totally working on the next chapter tonight since I'm not feeling well so expect an update pretty soon(: Thanks for reviewing again.  
**toolazytosignin:** Ha, omg, I hope my update came quick enough for you(: I really try to make sure that the chapters are good before I post them, you know? So sometimes if I'm being slow... well that just means I think the chapter is sucky. But thanks for liking it enough to review(: I love getting the comments.

* * *

"So I understand you didn't want to go to Wednesday's meeting?" Patricia placed an arm around Massie's shoulders as they walked towards her office. Her ever-present notepad was tucked under her arm. Massie pursed her chapped lips.

"I guess not."

"And why?"

The question, simple as it was, couldn't be that easy to answer. Massie felt herself slowly becoming detached, no longer wishing to take part in the conversation.

"Massie? Why didn't you want to come?"

The young girl stared wistfully out the window of Patricia's office, which they had now reached. "I just don't like this part of the story, I guess."

***

Everyone but Jason and his henchmen jumped when the shot went off. Their ears rung, adding to the sting in their eyes. The girls let out strangled sobs while the guys seemed to have stopped breathing altogether. Massie dropped to her knees, cheeks red and hair in a frazzle. Derrick was arching his back at the pain, breath coming out in shallow little puffs. Claire looked scared, but a little weary. The hits she had taken really took a toll on her, from the looks of her bruised arm.

"Jesus," Frank muttered, looking at all of them. They all seemed a little caught off guard, seeing the kids freak out. They had hoped to leave without firing a shot, but Jason had no patience left.

Jason wasn't amused. "Settle down. I shot him in the arm. See? He's fine." He turned to Massie, pointing the weapon at her. "Not go and pack a bag. I'm not waiting any longer. The sooner you get down here with that, the sooner your little friend gets medical attention."

She felt the tape from her wrists being cut, and instantly placed a cool hand on Derrick's cheek.

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, biting her lower lip. This was so surreal, she felt like a ghost, floating above the scene. "I'm sorry. I'll hurry. It'll be okay." Her shaky voice and tear-filled eyes didn't have him completely convinced. A strong arm yanked her up, making her gasp lightly. "I love you." Her arm twisted slightly and she winced, but her pain didn't mean anything now. Derrick had squeezed his eyes shut, his hand clutching his arm. She clenched her teeth, trying to block out the vision of his blood.

It was Pete, practically dragging her up the stairs. She struggled to regain her footing and walk normally. In fact, if she had done that, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from running back downstairs. He seemed to know exactly where her room was, leading the way while she stared at her hands. Her hands, red with the blood of her best friend. "Oh, Derrick," she whispered to herself, the faint whimpers and groans of pain being heard from downstairs.

"Okay. Pack." Pete seemed more preoccupied staring at her huge bedroom, fluffy white carpets looking particularly untouched and perfect as ever. She walked quickly to her closet , pulling a giant LV duffel from the top shelf. The shock was wearing off and now she could only think about Derrick getting to the hospital.

She threw in everything she could fit - jeans, shoes, socks, thongs, various tops, from casual to elegant, a bunch of Lucky sweatshirts and hair elastics, a brush, a comb, makeup, and her perfume.

"No perfume." Pete tore it from her grasp and set it back on the shelf in the bathroom.

She scratched her forehead. "Why?"

He looked annoyed. "Chances are, it'll bug Jason. But if it matters that much..."

It didn't matter that much to her, but even the smallest acts of defiance succeeded in making her feel altogether satisfied. She slid it into the bag and then turned to the drawer in her desk, where she stored things for emergencies. They had drawers like this all over the house.

"Whatever. Can I bring this?" She wiggled an epipen in front of his face. It was for emergency injections, in case she had an allergic reaction. Her peanut allergy had worsened over the years, now even accidental contact earning her a trip to the hospital. Pete eyed it.

"Bring more than one. Just in case."

She stuffed three in the bag, then licked her lips. "Done." It was odd, now, that she was packing in the face of her friend's death.

He nodded. "You've got two minutes. Put on different pants and some sneakers. Starting now."

He held up a gold watch adorning his left wrist and smiled. She torn some clothes from the closet and ran tot he bathroom.

Taking a second to rub her wrists, she rapidly tore off the jeans she was wearing in favor of some brown Juicy sweats, and a tank top, with a turquoise sweatshirt, just in case she got chilly. She felt comfortable, in the pure physical sense, but her thoughts were going faster than she could stand. She tasted copper and realized she was biting her lip so hard that she'd drawn blood. He knocked lightly on the door.

"Time's up. Let's go back downstairs."

When they got back down, Brad was working on Derrick, who was looking eerily pale. A blakck bag was next to him, open and showing a variety of gauze, scissors, bandages and bottles of disinfectants. She felt herself going pale as she looked at Derrick, who still appeared to be in pain. Massie swallowed hard to avoid completely losing it. Her friends looked like they were attempting to do the same.

"You didn't hit any important arteries. After I wrap it up he'll last about half an hour." Brad was so businesslike and straight to the point that she longed to lean down and wrap her arms around Derrick.

"What?" Kristen yelled suddenly.

"He'll last a half an hour. Could you hear me that time?"

Massie scoffed. "We heard he needs help now. And you aren't a doctor. Call 911!"

Jason chuckled, then went on to tape her hands again. "Everyone have the bags?" She pulled away, but ti was futile, her thin arms and ballerina legs nothing against pure muscle and hatred.

It was then that she noticed the duffel bags were sitting by the door.

The guys nodded, glancing at the kids.

"Okay, here's the deal. We are leaving. You have to wait thirty minutes before you call the police. We have people watching you, and we are monitoring your phones, along with the Blocks'. Failure to comply with these rules means that we'll kill Massiegirl."

Massie paled.

"We're gonna untie Cammie, and I'm being completely serious, you hold her life in your hands. If you even think about contacting anyone, we'll know the second you do it."

Kemp shook his head. "You're bluffing."

Massie jumped as she felt the gun pressing into her temple, causing her head to throb. She held back the sob that threatened to escape her throat.

"Wanna bet?"

The silence made his answer clear.

"Blindfold and silence her. The van has been parked by the door, right?"

Pete nodded. "Kevin did it. He's waiting at the wheel."

Massie felt the familiar sticky sense of the tape on her mouth again, and gave her friends wide eyes, as if to apologize. Then everything was black.

"You sure she can't see everything?" It was Jason.

"We're sure, J." And they were right. She couldn't see a single thing.

And then she didn't want to go.

"You're really taking her?" Kristen's high-pitched, nervous voice cut into her thoughts of fear.

It's not that she wanted to go, really. But now, with everything dark and these arms pushing her towards the door (she had assumed) the reality of the situation was hitting her hard. She was really leaving with several dangerous men. She might not come back. She was no longer a ghost, hovering above the horrible scene. She was the horrible scene. Her throat burned as she made a low, loud, grumbling noise past the tape. She didn't care about what she looked like or how she did this, but she didn't want to go.

"Yes. We are really taking her." Jason was clearly entertained by how naive they were. Massie struggled, trying to scream through her secured mouth.

"Just leave her here! Please!" Plovert, who hadn't done much talking, sounded scared.

"Get her in the van. You!" Jason must have grabbed someone, but who, she wasn't sure.

"Stay away from me. We can make it a forty-five minute wait, but I doubt your friend here is going to last that long."

Massie tried to pick out Derrick's ragged breathing amidst the chaos, but soon she felt more than one person pushing her.

That's what it was, in the end. It was more than one event that grabbed hold, propelled her forward. She could do nothing but float as she was moved, not on her own accord, towards a cloudy, dark future. She couldn't see the end and she didn't know if the light at the end of this unexpected tunnel existed. Just going, going, control gone and thoughts disappearing. She was just being moved to someone else's desired location.

She felt the warm, delicious breeze of summer on her cheek for an instant, and knew that the grass was probably dewey, like it was on every summer morning. Her breathing through her nose was peaceful, if only for a second, as she let the air caress her. Then the musty smell reached her nostrils, and she was lifted up into something. More steps, more moving, pushig her to the back. Voices made focusing on anything else impossible. She was just a nothing now, not even a topic of conversation as she felt moving. The van was leaving.

She didn't care any more. The tears escaped her eyes, soaking her blindfold. Life as she knew it was beginning it's end. Her destination loomed ahead of her, a horizon she could not see.

Unknown.

* * *

**End Notes:** Mmph. See? It isn't my best. Reviews are appreciated(: I respond to every single one.


	7. First Impressions Make the Media Scream

**A/N: **I don't know if you noticed the "ON HIATUS" I added to the summary of this story, or the little announcement in my profile, but I did do that. Things are becoming really difficult for me, and I just needed a break from just about everything. My friends have all turned on me and now hate me, for unknown reasons, and they have for... about seven months. I'm switching schools and I am on meds to stop my depression. So you guys kinda get it, right?

**applejuicegirl:** Bahahah, I loved this review for unknown reasons. Sorry the updating took a long time. I'll be watching for your next review!  
**C-cloud:** Ah! Thanks for loving it(: And yeah, I figured original pairings would be easiest. Oh, yeah, I know that updating was a really long time and I haven't been the best about it, although I am now again healthier and am updating again! Thanks for sticking with me.  
**LikeWow5556: **I was really proud of that chapter, so I'm glad you liked it and thought it was amazing! That makes me feel better. Yeah, poor Derrick, I kinda love him so... yeah. Ha, and updating with become more regular, now that I'm in a healthier place than I was in the past few months.  
**emeraldeyes101:** Ha, I am SO GLAD that the suspense worked. I love using it, even though sometimes it becomes too much, like when Derrick's life is hanging on a thread! I'm so happy you like my writing style and this story. It is really... um, different, and was got mixed reviews at first, so I'm glad its finally taking off. Oh, and I use cliffhangers, but I don't like them all the time, you know? I'm so happy you like this! I kind of like your writing, so... Yeah, and my updating sucks. But I'm getting better, so the updates will too!  
**ohmyitsdani:** Oh. you know it isn't personal. Even if I do torture you guys with suspense. I just can't help it! Yeah, it was abad chapter to go on hiatus right after, wasn't it? Too many questions left, I guess... And come on, I'm such a sucker for happy endings(:  
**lovetheclique:** Oh, gosh, not even close to the last chapter, thank GOD! I'm actually... *whispers* planning a sequel(: And the fact that you think is one of the best stories in the Clique fandom is soo making me like the idea of a sequel! Thanks for the awesome review, and my updating will get better, I promisepromisepromise.  
**littlemisstroublee:** I was unsure of the chapter when I wrote it, but now feel pretty proud of it, so I'm glad you liked it! And the story was kinda... shaky at first, and not a lot of people reviewed or read, so I'm happy to hear you like it! Plus, hearing you like my writing kinda gives me a heart attack! And I PROMISE I'll become a better updater. Things were sucky for a while, you know?  
**applejuicegirl:** Wait, are you the same as the other applejuicegirl? Hm... you both did the "baha" thing, so I can't be sure. Anywhoo, I'm sooo freakin' happy you are loving it! And my updating needed work, I'm tellin' ya, but I'm totally gonna improve. Soon.  
**glitterxgirl:** Ha, I know. Shooting Derrick was just about the meanest thing I could do. Yay! Your fave? For real? Fuh-lattering, I tell you! The "well written" part made me all fuzzy inside. *grins* And yeah, I have been looking into a beta but I'm just not a beta person. At all. I'll have to be, if I ever actually publish something, but at the moment... eh. And I will TOTALLY get better about the updating.  
**another moment gone:** Oh, that's okay, I jump for joy because of fanfic all the time. Which is sad. And dude, I live the uncommon stuff. I like to write things that people will read because it hasn't been on the site 20,000 other times. Suspense is something I love to play with, because of the way you can end in such dramatic sentences and leave with a bang. Your compliments are unbelievable and amazing and I know this sounds strange, but through this tough time in my life, it kinda lifts me spirits:)  
**fanfictiontastic:** Wow, wow, wow. The nice things you say are SO nice. Things haven't really been easy around here lately, so... thanks. My updating became nonexistent after that chapter, because of my internal issues and stuff. I promise you, I will try my best to improve that soon. And yes, Jason deserves the worst.

* * *

_"What was it like?" This was the beginning of every meeting with her therapist. A question, so simple, that lead to Massie's talking for the next hour._

_"What was what like?" Her eyes are a little brighter than the previous visit. She seemed to be improving, with each meeting, and each question._

_"The first video." Patricia is so much like Massie it's scary. She's fearless, unafraid of asking the most invasive questions. She seemed to know that Massie could answer even the toughest ones._

_Massie didn't look surprised at her answer. Instead she sat back and studied her dull nails._

_"It was like... it was like staring into an angry, black hole, and suddenly it's demanding that you talk. It's like knowing your parents are going to see you talk and you're going to die soon and you want to say so much more than you are but you can't. Because it's an angry, black hole, and it's demanding things. But you can't say them. Even though you want to."_

_Silence hung in the dim room. Silence rang through Massie's head, bouncing like a marble._

*******

They arrive after what feels like days.

In reality, it's been around two and a half hours. Not that far, considering she was scared she was going to end up in a different country altogether. She did hear the tires crunching on the gravel for a good half hour, though, so she knows that this place is far from the rest of the world. Secret, secluded - this will become her prison.

Pete's voice is directed towards her, then, somewhere off to the left. She turned her head and felt him grab both her arms, guiding her out of the truck. Her feet were stumbling and her legs felt like jelly as he assisted her in taking her first few steps in hours.

"It's a little rough around the edges," he warned, as Massie stubbed her toe on an exceptionally large rock. "I'll tell you where to step." This was followed by a series of ups and downs.

The door opened with a swift click and whoosh and she stepped inside. The softness was a rug, under her sneakers, and she wiped them carefully, out of habit. Someone snickered and she felt her eyes get wet again.

"Guess you never lose the rich mentality, do ya?" She wanted to say it was Frank, but wasn't completely sure. It could have been Kevin or Brad or Pete or Frank or....

No. Jason hadn't said it. She knew his voice too well.

Then she was being pushed again, and jerked abruptly. "These are stairs. I'm taking off the blindfold." Pete's fingers played along her hairline as he tried to remove the black cloth without messing up her brown locks. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered. "Wha- is this wet?" He looked confused, before realizing the obvious explanation. Massie adjusted to the light while he sighed, almost feeling sorry for her - but not quite.

She'd soaked the blindfold with her tears.

They hadn't stopped, not once on the long ride to nowhere. Continuous and humiliating, she'd managed to keep it fairly silent, but had felt someone lay a hand on her back at some point, if only for a second.

"Um, anyway," Pete seemed to yank himself from his own thoughts. "Go down the stairs." She jumped as he swiftly cut the tape, and then felt the handle of her duffel bag in her hands.

"Okay," she murmured quietly, voice quiet and raspy from not using it for hours.

The carpet on the stairs gave way to hardwood when she reached the floor. It was a beautiful basement. The wood floors showcased many different shades, from a soft, almost light wood to dark cherry. She pursed her lips to hide her approval and took a few steps.

The couch was large and thick, L-shaped with a soft red almost-brown leather. Massie let her fingers play on it absently as she viewed the TV, larger than any you could buy at most stores and the state-of-the-art Bose sound system. The few pictures and vases were simple and elegant, just fancy enough to prove their worth. Walls of a color that could have seemed a sort of soft white didn't stand out, instead letting the accents do the job of decor.

"You like it?" said Jason, startling her. She blinked, refusing to accept this place as any more than "okay".

"It's fine," Massie said stiffly, still walking slowly, taking the situation in.

Jason nodded. "Good. The bedroom is in front of you. The bathroom is the door next to it - they aren't attached. Do what you need to do." He checked his watch, then looked at a corner of the room. "First video is shot in an hour."

"Wait," she said, turning, dropping her bag on the floor. "What video?"

Jason smirked, raising an eyebrow. "We need to address the nation."

She narrowed her eyes, and decided not to press the issue any further. He wouldn't give her any specific answers anyway. And she, whether the liked it or not, could only fight him so much.

She picked her bag back up and went to the bathroom first, and set to fixing her hair. She didn't feel like applying makeup, seeing as it didn't really matter and she wanted people to see what had been done to her. Nothing needed to be hidden.

"Change into some nice clothes," came his voice. She heard his footsteps as he walked away, and then faint voices on what she assumed to be a TV. After brushing her teeth, she stepped into the bedroom and changed into some skinny Hudson's, and a long-sleeved oversized cashmere sweater in a soft light green. She was thankful that she had packed some warm clothes, seeing as it was fairly chilly in the basement, despite it being completely finished and furnished.

Jason was grinning when she stepped out.

"What are you watching?" The headline on the TV was bright-red, large letters commanding attention. The newswoman looked frazzled, her eyes deadly serious.

He looked pleased.

"Mommy and Daddy are returning from vacation early. Man, I have to say, they are responding quite quickly."

She stepped closer to the TV, squinting as she absorbed the words.

**Teenage Girl, Massie Block, Kidnapped by Five Men**

She looked up, concentrating on the woman's face. She spoke quickly, trying to keep her words clear in the mic.

_"Authorities say that her friends were unable to call the police until she'd been gone half an hour, for they were being listened to and/or watched. With the death of their friend hanging on the horizon, they couldn't take the risk."_

"Oh my God," she muttered softly, not noticing how Jason smiled smugly.

_"One boy was shot, but not killed, and is in the hospital expected to make a full recovery after losing massive amounts of blood. Not much harm was done, with the exception of him and another young girl who had been hit and thrown repeatedly, suffering the consequences of her friends, when they didn't cooperate."_

"Claire," her strained voice whispered weakly, as her frozen lips struggled to form her friend's name. The surreality was making her sweat and her forehead turn hot.

_"Authorities think that the men are using the Block's security system against them, using the cameras to survey the scene. More info on this later. But for a final note, if you have seen Massie Block, call the number on your screen, or immediately dial 911. Here's a current picture-" Massie watched as her school picture came on screen, "so watch out. She is described as average height, about five-seven, with brown hair and amber-eyes. Her skin is fairly tan and she is very fit, physically."_

"They are all looking for you," he said beside her, keeping his eyes on the screen.

She covered her mouth with her hand, willing herself not to cry any more. She was done shedding tears for them.

"Kevin's almost done setting up the equipment." It was then that she noticed Kevin in the corner, setting up a camera and a computer, a chair positioned in front of the camera.

She moved her head up and down slowly, getting it.

"But... what's this? No makeup?" He took her face in his hands, as if he was a loved one preparing to kiss her, then brushed his thumbs across the purple bruises that spread across her cheekbones. She winced, inhaling sharply and pulling away. He held firm.

"Let go of me," she said through gritted teeth, and he did.

"We're gonna ice your eyes so they aren't so swollen. Nobody needs to know you just spent the past three hours _sobbing_. And then you'll put on makeup, to cover the bruises. Got it?"

She went and sat on the couch while he yelled at Frank for some ice and a small towel. It came almost instantly.

"What's up with..." his words died when he saw her puffy eyes. She looked at the floor, ignoring their conversation.

Jason tossed her the ice and towel, walking to change the channel to another news station, for perhaps more coverage on the events. She heard snippets of things as she applied the coolness, soothing her eyes instantly.

_"...taken at approximately 8 AM..."_

_"Believed to be a black van..."_

_"...wearing sneakers, brown sweat pants, a tank top, and a blue, maybe turquoise sweatshirt..."_

_"Friends say she was blindfolded and gagged as to not know where they took her..."_

_"...parents are arriving home from their vacation in Fiji early..."_

She laid there for about fifteen minutes before Jason took the ice off her eyes.

"Now go put on some makeup, we're ready."

Massie wasn't really sure why, but she was determined to piss him off. Her stubborn personality, coupled with the rebellion that she felt Jason deserved, suddenly came up, awful and determined. Her words were sharp and high-pitched, the absolute cliche teenager-girl voice.

"No. What's the point?"

He looked somewhere else, the glared at her.

"There shouldn't have to be a point. Just put on some damn makeup." And he was losing control...

She shook her head, prompting him to get up and walk to her room. She could hear some things moving around before he stomped out, holding her Chanel makeup bag in his hands.

"_I'll_ put it on, then."

She wasn't sure how experienced he was about putting on makeup, but the look in his eyes made her pause.

He took the foundation out, along with the soft brush, and gently dabbed it in. After knocking it a little to get the excess to fall off, he softly brushed it on her cheek, making her flinch a little.

It took about five minutes of delicate brush weaving and extreme speculation on how the shadows caught her cheeks before he was satisfied.

"Pretty as a picture," said Brad, who had come down the stairs two minutes earlier.

She was still, immobile as Jason tucked the makeup away and made a last-minute adjustment to the camera.

Had he done this before? It was a crazy thought, to think that he'd applied makeup to a damaged face before, but after what had just happened, it seemed like a possibility. Her busy mind tried not to linger on the subject, instead trying to make sense of Jason's current plan.

"Come over here, sit in the chair, and let's get this show going."

She got up and sat nervously, running her hands through her hair. "What do I say?"

He grinned. "That's the easy part. You sit here, and tell the camera what's going on. How are we treating you, what do we want, stuff like that."

She nodded and got comfortable, or as comfortable as possible.

"Aaaand we're rolling," Kevin said while pointing his finger at her.

She licked her lips, then looked at Jason, who was standing behind the camera.

"Don't look at me, sweetheart. Watch the camera."

Moving her eyes, she began to speak.

"Hey. Mom and Dad, if you're watching this, I, um," she faltered, holding back the tears in her eyes. She hadn't expected to get so emotional. "I love you. And I'm going to come home, I promise. They're treating me okay, I guess. I don't know where I am. It's really far from the house. And deserted."

She looked back at him for a second, not sure if she should continue. Kevin gestured with his hand to keep going.

"Oh. Uh, I don't know what they want. They haven't really made any demands yet, I don't think. But I saw my story in the news. That's... crazy. But I love you. I love you so, so-"

"And we're done," Kevin said, interrupting her, pressing a button on the camera.

"-much."

Massie stood, then sat back down at the glare of Jason. "How are people going to see this?"

"We'll be sending it to your parents, along with CNN, was my plan. It'll be an unidentified source, untraceable, with no other contact numbers. Old Kev here is pretty good with computers.

Kevin nodded eagerly, practically glowing from the compliment, while tapping a few keys and grinning proudly.

"Your parents are getting it now. We'll send it in an hour. They'll need time to take this all in."

He clicked the mouse again, then looked straight at Massie. "Don't even try to get on the internet. I get emails whenever there's a failed attempt, and you need a password. So we'll know."

Was it possible that Jason just needed more opportunities to gloat, or was there another plan? A different motive? She watched as they stood up and completely disregarded her, making plans for dinner.

And then they left her. Alone.

* * *

**End Notes:** I'm happy to be writing again. And I hope you guys understand. Hopefully, frequent updates will resume. I'll try my best. Forgiven?


	8. Unspoken Endings are the Scariest of All

**A/N: In honor of my finals being over... an update. **

Thanks for all the amazing, supportive, wonderful reviews. You guys have no idea. They were awesome.

**findingforever:** Aw, your so sweet. I'm glad you loved it. I've been doing a lot of editing before I post every chapter so I'm happy that it was wroth it. Ha, we all feel bad for Massie. But there is a reason, sort of, for Jason's actions. In fact, it should be revealed within the next few chapters. I have also thought of an even bigger backstory so.... complicated? Maybe.  
**little miss trouble: **Oh, gosh, you are waay too nice. And no, that isn't creeper or stalkerish. Just sweet. It was a sucky time of my life, but I'm leaving it in the dust(: Oh, man, if you didn't like the way they were treating her in that chapter, get a load of this one. I am totally getting better about updating, too, I... think.  
**c-cloud: **Oh, wow, that's quite a story you told. No comment. Ha and thanks for reviewing, it was really nice. I'm getting better about the updates, too, dontcha think?  
**kristen:** Oh, thanks youuus(: I'm glad that chapter was great, and I'm so sorry I left at such a cliffhanger. Oh, and you forgiving me so easily? Thee bestestest thing ever(:  
**likewow5556:** Oh, thanks. I have been doing a lot of editing and re-reading to make it as good as possible, so it's nice to hear that you liked it(: I feel bad that you have gone through that, and I hope that you find better friends or your current ones realize what they have.  
**applejuicegirl:** Oh, thanks! And yeah, please do not turn on me and hate mee! Haha. No, that wasn't creepy. Just nice. Oh, wow, that is really flattering. And nice, because I really want to pursue writing as a career. And rambling is okay! I love rambling. I love potatoes too... mm.  
**xjgege:** Ha, yeah, my life really sucked for a while, but it's improving, day by day. Thanks for the support. Ha, the story will get a little more.. bad... but I hope it gets touching, eventually. And although I might be slow about updating, I started this story and I promised fast updates, so that's what I'm gonna do!  
**pumpernickle:** Oh, thanks. It IS very depressing, I'll admit writing it gets a little dark and sad sometimes. I'm trying to set it up so I can write a sort of sequel, you know? I'm all full of the ideas! And thanks for reviewing(:

Oh, and I usually forget, but every couple chapters I have to remember: The recognizable characters, settings, and plotlines are property of Lisi Harrison and Poppy Publishing. Of course, I have created a few of my own characters and my own setting, so... you know.

* * *

_"The time there was... slow. But then fast. I couldn't remember if it was nighttime or day and if I had eaten breakfast or if I was eating dinner. I forgot. And I got _skinny_."_

_Patricia didn't write her notes or check the clock. Instead she frowned. "When did you bottom out?"_

_"Bottom out at what?"_

_"Weight."_

_"Um... I was really low, already by the second video. But when they found me..." She chuckled bitterly and blinked. "I was a freaking stick when they found me. And I didn't even realize it."_

*******

She didn't have much to do. At_ all_. Sitting in a beautiful, well-furnished home with nothing to do was like spending an afternoon at the mall and finding nothing to buy whatsoever.

There were some movies, mostly older, which she watched two of._ Pretty Woman _and_ The Breakfast Club_. A different guy came every couple hours with some food, taking requests and promising to get her favorites at the store next time he was there. Kind of like a hotel but way worse (or not like a hotel at all). More like a really boring day, only the people you see have guns and you notice hostility haunting their every stare.

It was nice, kind of. When she got passed the fact that she was stuck here, they really were kind. And her possible future-killers, but whatevs. Sort of. Jason was still smug about how smoothly the plan was going, and Brad still acted odd and creeped her out in a way she couldn't explain. Kevin acted like this was just another job; she wasn't a person with feelings and a family. This was just another payday, a favor for a friend. It scared her that they could do this and not think it was out of the ordinary. A lot of things scared her, but the thing that scared her the most was the fact that they could kill her and not spend a second thinking about it.

Frank smiled a lot and she'd decided that he was the one who laid his hand on her back when she was crying, in the van. He was her favorite. That is, if she was forced to pick a favorite out of the five men who had kidnapped and assaulted her.

Oh, the van. The journey. It all felt like a lifetime ago, when she was still thinking that this would end quickly. But the days; they bleed together, and yesterday seems like this morning and this morning seems like now but now is already tonight and tomorrow doesn't seem so distant but in a way it is, these endless minutes that keep forming into one long nightmare.

It hadn't been very long before she was everywhere. News stations across the country talked about her, and she'd already seen a special on the investigation. _Where is Massie Block? _Her face splashed everywhere, featured in magazines and newpapers and the rumors that circulated were enough to make her shudder with uneasiness. How many times had she seen a missing person poster and thought nothing of it? It was like realizing that you were the person on the milk carton. It was like realizing that all those things about how after the first 24 hours of a kidnapping, the person is usually dead might be... true.

Jason woke her up four days after the first video was made, a grin on his face and something in his hand. She blearily rubbed her eyes and yawned, knowing that she looked like she usually did when being woken up at eight o'clock in the morning: tired, pathetic, and confused. Not that she didn't always look like that nowadays.

"You read _People_?" He was still grinning, knowing her answer.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed, sighing. "Yes. Um, why?"

The magazine landed on the bedspread as he threw it down, eyes bright. "_You_ are a cover story."

And she was. She was _the _cover story, actually. Jennifer Aniston was a side-story, demoted to the little side-bars. Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were also deemed less important than Massie was. It was like her dream, the surreal fantasy of hers, brought back in the most disgusting way possible.

The yellow letters read the headline, artfully written and getting straight to the point. How many times had she read that, not thinking much about it? And now she was the story, and it meant everything. Wordlessly, she read it.

"**I love you so, so..." **

**As her last words are cut off, we are all waiting for the rest of this girl's story. **

**Where is Massie Block, and why was she taken?**

The photo was her, a shot taken from the video. She had an apprehensive look on her face, eyes brows raised slightly, head bent a little low. Her eyes were glazed with fear.

"We're making another video today. Look pretty by ten."

His words jerked her from her thoughts, reminding her that she had a long time of this to deal with. Then he left, letting her go back to sleep in peace. It was only eight, and she could be ready in half an hour, tops, so she let herself drift off again.

The dream she had before was her, at home, having a sleepover with her friends. They were eating Cinnabons and playing Would You Rather? While Bean slept next to her. Rihanna played softly in the background, making some of them mouth along with the words.

That dream had been heaven.

The dream she had now, though, was about her being seen by everyone as "That girl who got kidnapped". She was still here, only now it was without hope, and she had no chance of going back. The men went along their normal lives, but she wasn't allowed to do that, to grow up. She was forced to stay here.

Seeing her face, on the cover of _People_, made something inside of her uneasy. She'd always dreamed of that. Being the stylish, perfect star that everyone adored. The one that was always the cover story on _People_. But here she was, the sad, horrible story of a missing teenage girl.

Irony had never hurt so much.

Around 8:15, she woke and showered, taking her time under the hot water. Steam rose, dancing along the ceiling and fogging the mirror, the air around her. She inhaled, breathing in... nothing. Not the smell of lavender, that she had spread throughout her own bedroom, not the smell of a wet puppy after Bean's bath, not anything.

She shut off the water quickly and dried off, stepping out into the slightly cooler air outside the shower. Swiping a comb through her hair, she noticed that her cheeks had pretty much completely healed, the bruising gone. Thank God.

Today was simple, with Velour sweats and some little white ankle-socks, along with a t-shirt that was simple, DKNY stamped on the front. She dried her hair and then put it up in a cute but easy ponytail and put on a light amount of makeup.

This used to be her before-school routine. Getting ready, then going downstairs to eat an egg-white omelet made by Inez, before hopping into the Range Rover and going to school.

Now she was getting ready so she could make videos, forced to look good by her captors. It was an odd thought.

"Hurry up," came Kevin's voice, less mighty than Jason's but not as friendly as Frank's, lacking the creepy, annoying-ness of Brad's.

She took a second to pause, to stare into space, her exhaustion catching up to her. She had a hard time falling asleep, and Jason usually woke her up at some point to tell her something or ask her something or to bother her.

Kevin was standing there when Massie opened the door, ready to lead her to the chair she'd only sat in once. She shifted around while he pressed a few buttons on the camera and waited, because surely Jason would want to be here while they did this.

"What do I say this time?"

Kevin looked startled by her talking, since she rarely said anything to him. He cleared his throat, then shrugged. "Ask J."

He arrived, as if on cue, walking quickly to the corner of the room and checking everything.

"This is an important one. You need to tell your dad how much money we expect from him."

"Oh." Her eyes clouded with surprise, although she had kind of expected this. "So I'm officially a ransom?"

Jason smiled and nodded, then turned serious. "Fifteen million."

She wasn't sure why he would ask for fifteen million, what he would do with it, or why he would want only that much. Her father was worth so much more, and Jason did detail that he already had a lot of money. Massie didn't think about the fact that he never gave any more details. He didn't tell her about how the money would get picked up, or when he wanted it, or when she'd get to go home. He didn't say any of that.

She didn't now how this was supposed to end.

He stood behind Kevin and watch as she shifted slightly and he clicked the mouse once.

"Live in three, two..."

Massie cleared her throat and began the second video.

"Um, Hi, Mom and Dad. I'm fine, as always. I miss you. Tell Bean I love her. Oh, and um, they want fifteen million. Dollars. Fifteen million dollars and... that shouldn't be a problem, I don't think." Her mouth was barely moving to form a "j" for Jason when he put his hand up.

"No name," he said in a whisper quiet enough so that the camera didn't catch it. She nodded once.

"So yeah. I love you." Her eyes started to tear up, and she sniffed quietly. "I love you."

And with a click, it was over.

Jason was already gone.

"Nice job, I guess," Kevin said as he shut down some programs and sent the video to her father's email address. "But try not to get so emotional. Just stick with what we tell you to say."

And then she was angry.

"Wait... emotional? You want me to act... less... emotional? Well, obviously that's easy for you, since you kidnapped a girl half your size and keep her locked in a fucking basement, right? Right? _God_..." She ran her hand through her hair wildly, trying to calm her thumping heart. "Emotional... I'm making a video that my parents will see. My parents, who I miss. Don't give me _shit _about my emotions." Massie looked up, fixing him with a glare that could have killed. "You... you stupid little tool. He's just using you, you know. He's using you so he can make money off of _me_." In truth, she hadn't even considered the words she had just said, but now they seemed completely true.

Kevin had stood up, stepping back and shaking his head. She could hear some muted thumps, and then Jason, he was here, walking so fast towards her with eyes so angry that she retreated back, shriveling up against the wall. Jason came up close. Massie felt her knees go weak in that horrible, jelly way. Her lashes fanned the air as she blinked, faster and faster, as if hoping he'd disappear.

"You little bitch." And then her hair was being pulled forward, and her head being pushed back so, so hard against the wall, the impact making her eyes tear up, her breath come out in uneven gasps. Her knees, feeling like jelly, finally gave up on the ensuing battle and she felt so stupid for being so pathetic.

He stepped away and watched her for a few seconds as she crumpled to the floor, trying not to sob, despite the situation. When she opened her eyes and blinked, he _had _disappeared. Kevin stood in his place, a smug smile on his face. She couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Don't talk to me like that. Ever. Again."

This will not be her living hell.

* * *

**End Notes: Reviews are nice(:**


	9. Memories Slam, Brace for Impact

**Oh, you guys. My life has been crazy! I transferred to a new high school and it's super huge! I love it! But the homework load has dramatically increased... but I'm so happy!**

**You're amazing reviews(:**

**kristen:** I love the intensity. And yeah, this chapter is definitely lacking, but I think the next one is cool... or not. I can't remember. My mind is a little jumbled. But thanks for reviewing, even though you were too lazy to sign in. I totally appreciate it. And I know I keep promising to increase the updates, but then life happens and... yeah. But thanks!

**Wanderingdreams:** Yes, finals were terrible and I am SO happy that I don't have to worry about them.. Until, of course, until the end of the year. And thanks! I love hearing that you like it! I haven't put in twenty thousand words so people could think it was so-so, ha! Oh, the awesome writer part made me smile. I love writing so... yeah, that was amazing. YOU are amazing. Thank you so much.

**Socceralpha:** Oh, thanks. I work hard, so it's nice that you were willing to take the time to review and stuff. And it made tears come! Oh, yes! That was kinda maybe my ultimate goal. Thanks for reviewing and I look forward to getting more of your feedback(:

**findingforever:** Oh, thanks for liking the chapter. I always check it like, a million times before I post because I'm never sure if it's good enough. Oh, you liked that line?!?! That line made me so gushing proud, because it came to me in a brilliant moment of inspiration and YOU LOVE IT so that's pretty dang amazing. Anywhoo, thanks for being a great reviewer.

**Likewow:** Oh, thanks! I try really hard, so for you to say that it was amazing and that you loved it make me so proud and happy! Thanks for taking the time to review even though you didn't have to. I know, mu updating sucks and I ALWAYS promise to be better, and then I'm not, but I will really try this next time, kay?

**Lovetheclique:** Oh, I know it's sad! Haha, that was my main goal. I love making people feel the emotions of the characters I write, so you thinking it was sad was wonderful... even though that sounds weird. Ha. But thanks for reviewing, and I totally look forward to getting more feedback from you!

**Littlemisstroublee:** I love that last day when you do nothing except text in class and mess around with friends. Ha. And god, we ALL hate Jason and Kevin. And Frank seems nice, I know, but the ending is sad in the way it turns out. Oh. I'm giving away clues! Ha. And my updating sucks bad, I know. I can't keep promising to improve, because then I don't, so... not making any guarantees. But I'm trying!

**Anonymous:** Oh, thanks! I'm glad you really like it. Especially since you are anonymous and you so you didn't HAVE to even review and you did! Thats so nice... And yeah, releasing the friends WAS odd, but the ending should clear some of those things up. God, I keep giving away clues. Thanks for reviewing(:

**Jayme:** Awwh, thanks for loving this story! I'm happy about that because I put a lot of effort into it. And I love getting anonymous reviewers! So thanks for doing that, even though you didn't even have to! The ending hasn't quite been written yet, but I know what I want it to be, and it's gonna be awesome!

**Brenda:** I know, it is sad! But I love making people feel emotion when reading my stories, so I actually think it's good that you felt kinda sad... ha. And my updating sucks, but I try. And I'm totally happy you want to read more! That's my main goal(:

**c-cloud:** Haha no problem. And thanks for loving that chapter! I never feel like they are quite good enough so thanks. And my updates make you happy! Awwh, you are so sweet! I love getting your reviews.

**lovergirl:** Thanks! I love getting reviews, even if they're short like this one, because that mean that you are actually nice enough to make the effort to give me some feedback, so... thanks so much! I look forward to getting more reviews from you!

**brooketastic:** I'm amazing? Gosh, that's so nice. Yeah, my life sucked for a long time. But everything is getting better, slowly. And I am very lucky for you awesome, supportive reviewers and the fact that my family is so great. Moving on hasn't been that hard! And thanks for thinking the story is good. I really try so good reviewers like you make it worth it(:

***

"_So he showed you everything?"_

_The pause was short. Massie felt it was easier to breathe in this room, where she could say anything. But sometimes it was hard to say much._

"_Yeah. Newspapers. Magazines. TV. I saw it all. It was like his form of torture."_

"_And the investigation coverage?"_

"_That was the worst. Because the police never had it right, until he was ready to kill me. They found out too late."_

_Patricia stopped in her writing, looking up at the teen with a look of shock. "Too late? I'd say the nick of time."_

_Massie pursed her lips. "Yeah. I guess."_

"_And how's the limp?"_

"_Better. The physical therapy is really paying off." Massie grinned, and looked down with a look of unbelievable happiness. "I guess I'm lucky he didn't aim for the head, first, right?"_

***

She couldn't remember how many days had passed - two, maybe three. It was an unusual morning, for her.

Most days, she was woken up by one of the guys, usually not Jason, with her breakfast. The person serving her always grumbled about being her servant, unless it was Frank. He gave her a sympathetic smile, told her to hang in there, for just another day. But this morning was different.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew it wasn't right. There wasn't another voice to awaken her. She didn't smell fresh eggs or pancakes, and she couldn't hear the clank of a spoon and bowl, which was the normal noise when they gave her Froot Loops.

No. It was silent.

But when she sat up, she wasn't alone.

"God, you scared me. Why didn't you wake me up? I thought I was alone." She brought her hand to her forehead, breathing deeply while Jason stood in front of her, still quiet. "How long have you been in here? You haven't been here long, right?" Sometimes she talked in her sleep, and she didn't want him to get the pleasure of hearing her whine for her mother, which she knew was what she dreamt about each night.

He came forward slowly, so quiet, making her shiver, even though the temperature was kept fairly warm.

She didn't get it - she didn't know if she ever would. All Massie knew was that Jason and her parents had a history; he hadn't just picked her for her money. And she also knew that he was smart. Smart enough so that she wouldn't be escaping by herself. It was days like these, when she couldn't get away from her reality, when everything seemed to suck a little more than usual.

"You made the front page of a newspaper that is published in Westchester." His rough fingers let it fall onto the bed, making her jump, the shivers returning.

**Another Video Shown - But Does It Only Give Us More Questions?**

**Massie Block showed up on every major news network yesterday, and while police are still investigating more possible leads, they suspect that she hasn't been in public since she was taken two and a half weeks ago at her Westchester estate. The video didn't give us much of a clue, in fact, we've only got more questions. We know how much her captors want, but it's the when and the where that are still baffling detectives. Will they make her foggy future clear, or are we supposed to stumble through the dark for another week?**

**If you have any information regarding Massie Block and her current location, please call the Westchester police department, or the missing children's hotline at 555-746-3449, or 258-727-4559, respectively. **

"They're so confused," she mumbled, not exactly to herself, yet she hadn't been talking to Jason either. He still took great joy in her words, though.

"I know. Such idiots. They've been getting calls from people who think they've seen you in gas stations, shitty supermarkets . . . who do they think we are, low-rate, pathetic, poor, rapists? I mean come on," he took her chin in his hand, smirking. "You know we're smarter than that. And I think they should be catching on soon enough. We're shooting again tomorrow, make sure you look normal."

He gave her an odd smile before leaving - not kind, not creepy, not knowing - just a smile. It jolted her, once again showing her how he was so unpredictable.

Pete came down later, slipping her some eggs and a few pieces of bacon, which she hadn't ever been served before.

"Oh! Thanks. Haven't had bacon in forever." She took a giant bite, appreciatively, giving him a smile, even though she knew she looked less than pretty, not having brushed her teeth yet.

"Yeah. I, um, heard about Jason hurting you again yesterday. Just keep out of trouble, okay? You'll be doing yourself a favor."

She licked her lips and set the piece of bacon down, swallowing. This was the most Pete had said to her, ever, that wasn't a snide remark or an insult. Massie nodded.

"Thanks. I know, it's just . . . " She pursed her lips. "I just wanna go home."

Pete looked anywhere but her eyes, as if searching for a distraction. "Bye."

"Bye."

It had seemed like in a way, they hadn't been able to hold up their hard exteriors. One by one, each of these men were coming around, being nicer and showing that they understood she was a person too, and this wasn't a game. Naturally, though, that didn't mean that they were suddenly going to be nice and let her go or anything. It was obvious that they had taken her for a reason and would keep her until it was fulfilled. But still, it was nice to know that they were human. Kevin persisted, being an asshole for no reason, and then normal at other random times. This, of course, made her want to beat the shit out of him, and she probably could, because he was about 120 pounds. But he'd go crying to Jason and she'd get hit again, so that was out of the question.

"Come in! Channel 12!" Jason stood in the doorway, excited, looking at the two of them.

"Okay," she mumbled, picking up her plate to bring it into the large room in the basement.

"Jesus, finally your parents do an interview. I've been waiting for this."

"What?" Massie raised her eyebrows, half-smiling and half-glaring. "My parents are on?"

"Shh. Your dad is talking."

And he was. William Block stood, arm around Kendra, listening intently as Lisa Ling asked a question.

"What do we think happened?" William looked at Kendra, who shrugged, as if to say, "I don't know."

"Well, we don't know. I have alerted the police of who might be capable or willing to do this and they are working with the leads. I just don't know why they would pick her, so innocent and young. I want her back at home soon, so she can go to school and live normal, the way she deserves. Massie is my angel."

"How sweet," Jason muttered, sounding bitter.

"And you, Mrs. Block, do you have any idea what the kidnapping was about?"

Kendra went slightly white, but kept refusing. "I- I might. But Massie, if you're watching . . . " Kendra trailed, off, wiping a tear that was snaking down her cheek.

"I _am _watching." Massie whispered to herself. "Mommy!" she yelled. "Mommy, I _am _watching."

"I love you. And you will come home, I promise. You will be okay." Kendra was staring off into the distance, her eyes now full or her delicate tears and her cheeks rapidly turning red.

"I love you too, Mommy. I love you too." Massie didn't know what had happened - it was like she was someone else, someone who lost control in situations like this. She was on her knees, in front of the TV, tears streaming down her cheeks. Soon, they were full-blown sobs, body shaking as she heaved more tears.

She didn't know if Pete was still in the room or if Jason was still sitting, gloating, as if he'd conquered the world by having her here. All she knew was that she wanted to be in her own bed, her own room, now. "Mommy," she sobbed, palms pressed against the screen, as her mother said something else. The words didn't register, though. She didn't understand. She didn't get it. She wished that she could snap her fingers, and Inez would appear, ready to do whatever she needed done. Or Isaac would be here, ready to take her wherever.

She wasn't looking at the TV now, just curling up into her own ball, hands gripping her long brunette locks. She wanted to tear her hair out, scream in pain and frustration and distract herself from the fact that she was here, not home.

And then she felt hands, firm and strong, grabbing each of her arms and pulling her hands from her hair, where she couldn't rip out her dark brown tresses.

"Don't let her hurt herself," Jason said sharply. Frank looked down at her, looking like he hated doing what he had to do.

"Just come on. Just come with me. Let's get you back into bed," he was whispering, as if hoping his words would somehow make it through her thick skull.

"I wanna go home," she cried, refusing to stand up, so he could guide her to the bedroom.

"Massie, come here. Come . . . " he angrily picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and marching into the room, flopping her down on the bed.

"I know this sucks, but you need to control yourself. Now go back to sleep. I'll bring you food later."

And then she was alone. But she didn't sleep. She cried until she didn't have any tears left in her, but she didn't sleep.


	10. Hope Fades Like Dying Stars, I'd Think

**We had a snowday today! Me so happy... and for that, I'm updating, because I also made oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies and took a bubble bath. You guys deserve an update(:**

_Your reviews! Because I never forget you guys!_

**Likewow: **Thanks!! Whenever I see people saying that a chapter I wasn't sure about was amazing, I feel so much better about writing the story! And the you loved it... *sniff sniff* I know I'm lame that you are too nice. And I think this update is a pretty good, long one for you... right?

**Kristen:** Ah, intensity will keep coming. Especially in this chapter. But after the whole ordeal is over, it will settle down a lot. I'm a little unsure of how to write the rest, but knowing that you like it now makes me feel better! Thanks!

**Findingforever:** Aw, your so nice! It certainly helps that I have so many awesome reviewers. Haha, we all hate him. No joke. But he will suffer the consequences soon.... haha and yeah, that was pretty violent, but it's completely understandable.

**DeJAwayoflife:** Oh, thanks for loving it! I love every bit of support, so keep it coming! And definitely try writing. It won't be perfect the first time, or the second time, or the third, but eventually we all get it right. Ha and I don't know how I am about ideas, but if you wanna run some by me I'll offer suggestions!

**brooketastic:** Oh, no problem. I love answering your reviews! I think that helps me truly appreciate them. Yeah, I probably wouldn't be so open about this if you guys all knew me, but all the support really helps. People I don't even really know are telling me that they are happy for me! And thanks, I wasn't sure about that chapter, so this makes me feel better.

**Fanfictionluver:** You read it all at once? Congrats! I have done that a few times with some good stories, so I'm pretty honored. I'm glad that you like how it's different, as I try to make stories that haven't been written a thousand times before. Ha, we all feel bad for Massie, trust me, but in the end, I think she'll be pretty great. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Littlemisstroublee:** Oh, thanks. I love how people I don't even really know are so supportive!The chapter titles are random and I like to really just let my thoughts wander until a title strikes me. I'm glad you noticed them and like them! They are meant to catch attention! Gosh, those last lines killed me too. I wrote this one a long time ago and then re-read it about two months later and was like... did I really write something that depressing? Haha but I'm glad you liked it. And Jason's age isn't clear in my mind, but in this chapter you should have a good idea.

**Soccergrrl:** Ha, thanks! That is so flattering, to say that the story is amazing, and it makes me feel like writing it is totally worth it! I love it when people are happy when I update, it makes me feel like you guys honestly like it. Yeah, I think that talking-in-the-present thing was needed because otherwise there would be no hope. Glad you like it!

**Applejuicegirl:** Ha, I suck at writing reviews, as most of mine don't make sense, so it's okay! And to hear that I could actually publish something makes me SO happy, as I'm currently playing around with my own original novel at the moment! And thanks, I love all the support I get from you guys! The past year has been hard, but you help. And hearing that the balance between action and stuff is right makes me feel good. In the end it'll be pretty intense so... Get ready!

**C-cloud:** Oh, you loved it? For real?That's so nice! I feel so happy when people genuinely like my stories. Yeah, I know, things aren't looking good for Massie, but the ending is pretty off the hook so.. Keep your chin up! And although my updating sucks, I think this was pretty fast, right?

**A/N: I own nothing, the characters, for the most part, aren't mine. But if the setting, storyline, or original characters get stolen from me, I will flame and flame and build up an alliance of people that hate you. Just saying.**

_***_

"_I decided I needed to save myself pretty quickly. I just dawned on me, after a while, that they didn't want to keep my alive."_

"_That's amazing."_

"_What?"_

"_It's amazing that you didn't give up. It's amazing that you won."_

_Massie was embarrassed. She'd listened to television networks from all over say the same thing. The strength of that teenage girl... But she was not strong. In the end, it was natural instinct. It was simple. In the end, she wasn't even thinking._

***

She gets sick not long after.

It isn't serious sickness, like she has to get smuggled to a hospital or she'll die or something. No, just a cold. But no-doubt the worst cold she's ever had in her whole entire life.

Her throat's completely gummed up, thick with phlegm and grumbly when she tries to utter a few words. Her nose is permanently clogged, and it doesn't matter if she spends every second picking up tissues and blowing her nose, it won't clear up. Between that and her throat, breathing was noisy and sucked, and she didn't sleep well. Her eyes were constantly watering, and she had wet sleeves from always wiping them. They were rimmed with red, along with her nose (from the blowing) and even though she tried to layer up and stay under all the blankets, she shivered always.

The coughing was bad, too. Long minutes spent at night, when she'd wake up and have a coughing fit, until her throat then felt like it was on fire, hoarse, the hack being loud enough for someone to come downstairs and make sure she gulped down some extra-strength, disgusting cough medicine before making sure the heating pad was on. They were all pretty nice, through the whole thing, Jason postponing the next video and Brad making sure he remembered to keep the cough medicine in the house. She almost wanted to stay sick, so they'd be nice to her.

Three days into it, she couldn't keep anything down except bits of soup, which Frank made for her. She felt so pathetic and worthless that she wanted to die; but obviously they didn't want that to happen.

"When are," sniff, "we gonna," cough, "do the next video?" She sneezed, suddenly, glad for the tissue in her hand.

"Tomorrow. You'll be fine." Jason was sitting in the basement, watching TV, feet up on the ottoman. She nodded and smiled, then went back to her room where she could curl up and wait for sleep.

"I'll be waiting for it." She was, in a way, too. She wanted to see her parents' reactions to the next statement she released; she wanted to know if Jason would give more information on how they would handle the ransom; she wanted to know if they were still watching for her videos, waiting to see if she was okay. She was more than eager to do all these things. But seriously, the cold she had was out of control and she did not want to appear as a pathetic, snotty mess when the nation saw her tomorrow.

She woke up six times within the next two hours, blowing her nose fiercely so she could breathe. Frank brought soup at what should have been lunch time, but it could have been dinner for all she knew. Time was sliding and slowing at an odd pace, but always slowly.

It was on and off like this until, until, at what was probably an inhumanely early hour of the morning, Jason yanked the covers from her freezing body.

"Jesus," she said softly. "Why'd you do that? It's freezing in here."

He smiled that mean smile and nodded towards the door. "Take a hot shower, blow your nose, take some meds. We're on in thirty minutes. Starting now."

He walked out, allowing her time to grab a towel and run where there was hot water and more tissues.

By her count, it had to have been at least four weeks here. Right? Because if she kept track of when they were awake and when she got food... it had to have been four weeks at least. Which was way too long of a time. She was missing out on her life! School was starting soon, or had started, possibly. Her friends were growing up and living on, while she sat and rotted in this basement.

The shower was heaven, with water that seemed to just get hotter and hotter, the mirror steaming up and her shoulders feeling like they'd let go of the tension she'd picked up over the past four weeks of her life.

"Hurry up," she heard Jason yell, and she felt pissed once again. His voice, always seeming to follow her everywhere she was, and his ears, which heard every comment she made, and those eyes, that seemed to look at her like she was the biggest piece of shit in the whole world... she was sick of it.

When she stepped out, wearing jeans and thick socks, along with a giant sweatshirt, he rolled his eyes.

And then she lost it, for about the billionth time in the past couple weeks.

"What? What's wrong with this, Jason? What have I done wrong again? Tell me, if there is any reason as to why you are so fucking angry and bitter all the time, then why can't you just explain?"

Her eyes, amber flecked with the burning fire of her anger and frustration, made his forehead crease.

"Oh, really? You want to know? You want to know why I'm, quote, 'bitter'?"

She stepped back a bit, caught off guard that he was acting as if he'd tell her. "Um, yeah. Oh, and also why you chose me. What the fuck did I do to you?" Okay, now she was pushing it. But Jason just smiled that stupid smile and again and took a seat on the couch, waving off an insistent Kevin.

"Sit down, princess, and I'll tell you why I chose you."

She followed his instruction, taking a seat and crossing her legs, sniffing loudly in the process.

"This starts out with me, in college, with my two best friends, Jay Lyons and William Block."

Massie crinkled her brows, unsure. Her father had never mentioned a friend from college other than Jay and a few other people that were still living in the area. She'd never heard of Jason, nor met him.

"Oh, I see - your daddy never mentioned me. Yeah, he's probably ashamed. But there's also someone else involved. My girlfriend, who was the absolute love of my life. Kendra Sterling."

It was then that Massie literally gasped; immediately feeling stupid. But what else could she do? She'd just found out that her mother had dated the man that was now holding her for ransom.

"We were a great group of friends. In fact, fourth year of college, guess what me and Kendra found out?"

She shook her head. No, no, it wasn't a baby. Kendra had _not_ gotten pregnant. He couldn't be saying... that.

"She was pregnant. I was so happy, I told all my friends first, they seemed happy too. Especially your father. And then, a few days later, I find out that the business me and your father were setting up together? Yeah, I was kicked out. By him. My best friend betrayed me, and cut me out of that deal." He shook his head ruefully and sighed. "We were gonna take the business world by fucking storm. And he brings up his little loopholes and "we never made a contract" and suddenly we aren't friends anymore."

Massie was looking at her lap, partially embarrassed by her father and partially thinking about the baby her mother had been pregnant with. Jason was not her father. That was impossible - William was her father.

"But in a way, I wasn't very angry, because I had a girlfriend that I loved, waiting for me, a baby that was on the way. Life was great, and I'd be able to make a living once I had my degree." He wasn't talking confidently now, more sliding further and further down in his seat, looking more depressed by the second. "We found out that the baby was a girl. She told me she had decided on the name Massie."

Massie shook her head; this wasn't right. This was not right. _No_.

"I thought everything was perfect. I wasn't really speaking with William, but really, when you are about to have a father, what can go wrong? And then a month before you were due, Massie, your mother told me that she wanted to leave me. She was in love with another man, whom she'd been having an affair with. The baby wasn't mine."

Massie sagged with relief at this, because obviously that meant that Jason wasn't her father.

"Oh, yeah, be all happy because I'm not your dad. _William_ is. That's right, it's official, your father had taken everything from me in a matter of months. My life sucked. So I got a job working in the government and made my money, and since I got fired, I decided I should finally carry out the plan of ruining William Block's life."

Well, now she knew - she'd been picked solely because of her father.

"You, Massie, you are William's life. He loves you. But you know what? You should be mine. Your whore of a mother ruined my chances of any future at all."

She sat still, taking the blow of his words, carefully planning the words she'd have to use when she shot the video.

***

"Are we ready?" Kevin sat at the chair, nodding that it was okay for them to start shooting.

"What do I say? I have no information to give you. You still haven't told me anything about the money."

Jason smiled, as if thinking about an inside joke he had with himself. "Yeah. I know." Massie clenched her fists in frustration, then coughed an ugly sound that made her throat raw.

"That's not fair. How can my parents give you 15 million dollars if they don't know where to put it, when to give it to you, or anything else? What in the hell are you doing?"

He was unfazed by her annoyed questions, still giving that same smile. "Talk about whatever. The public will eat it up anyway."

She shifted in front of the camera, more at ease now than she'd been previously. When she thought about her parents seeing this, it made her feel better. Her friends still cared about it, right? They still missed her, right? She had to hold on to those beliefs if she wanted to survive.

"We're rolling."

She mentally rehearsed the phrase she was going to say. It was all about forcing them to know. It was about saving her own life.

"Hey, mom and dad. I have a little cold. The heating works well here, but it's been pretty chilly so I have a cough, stuffed up nose, you know. But I'll be okay." She shot a glance towards Jason, who seemed distracted, and kept talking. "I can't wait until I get home. And trust me, I will. I'll be okay. You see me again." Her eyes were darting throughout the room, nervous. She felt her palms turn slick with a cold sweat.

"So I don't have much info on the money yet. Just 15 million. I don't know when they want it, or where, or whatever. But they do want it...." she trailed off, worried that Jason would catch her next sentence and know what she was doing. "They, er, he...." What do I say? "Don't like you. Obviously." Her amber eyes stared deeply into the camera, as if she were boring the message into her parents' heads.

"We're done," Kevin said quickly, as if suspecting that Massie was saying too much. His abrupt end to the video made Jason jump from his daydream.

"Just.. Send it. I have some things to take care of."

Massie stood up quickly and walked back to her room, avoiding the gaze of Kevin, who was narrowing his eyes at her.

Her heart beat with an odd sort of determination, the crazy hope that her parents would understand her words. That they would listen and think, _"Who would want revenge?" _She wanted them to figure it out so bad...

"Hungry?" Just as she reached the door to her room, Frank touched her shoulder, a plate in his hand. "Pancakes. New recipe."

She felt a low grumble in her stomach, and wondered if she was feeling good enough to eat some solid food. Oh, well, it's worth a try.

"Sure. Thanks." She took the plate unsteadily and cut a small piece off with her fork so Frank could see her try it.

"Are they good or are they good? So light and fluffy..." Frank smiled, pleased, as she grinned.

"Delicious. Thanks." And they were. Behind Frank, Kevin was carrying some equipment and walking up the stairs, eyeing the two of them.

She too a few more bites, swirling the pieces in the syrup. They really were good. And then...

And then she felt her face, turning hot. Her cheeks were probably flaming red. A sudden bead of sweat fell down past her temple.

"I.." she croaked, stepping back, dropping the food. "What did you put in..." She tried to gasp out a few more words, but her throat was closing up. She struggled to take in some shallow breaths, falling backwards on the floor.

"What? I put... oh, shit, are you allergic to peanuts?"

She nodded slowly, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Goddamn. Peanut oil. I didn't.... I didn't think. I swear."

His panic wasn't changing, and she watched him contemplate yelling for someone. He'd surely get in trouble, and Jason would throw a fit. And she had the epipens that had been stuffed in her back all those weeks ago.

She truly wasn't breathing now, vision becoming blurry. They were not going to help her. She needed to do this herself. She needed to take control of her own life.

Take control.

She was not going to survive this allergic reaction, this situation, by waiting for others. She needed to save herself.

She frantically crawled into the room, yanking open a drawer on the dresser and digging out the epipens.

_You've used these before. Remember? _

It was easy and rehearsed, she'd used it twice before, once at the age of seven and again at age eleven. Her mother had taught her at an early age, and she'd been forced to remember exactly how to do it herself.

_Hold it firmly in your hand. Pull on the gray cap opposite the black top. The needle will come out. Swiftly and firmly jab the pen into the outer thigh. Hold for ten seconds. Pull out. Massage the injected area. Take deep breaths._

There was one more step. _Call emergency personnel_. But she couldn't do that. It didn't matter how bad her flu got, or how bad this was, but they would_ never_ call 911. She'd have to survive the night alone. If she could make it 24 hours after this, she surely would be fine.

She told herself this, as she rubbed the sore spot on her thigh. Then Frank looked down at her and she felt the world turn inky black.


	11. I had an Epiphany, and it sucked

Blah blah blah I hate homework. And being grounded.

Your reviews(:

**Likewow5556:** Woah, thanks! I definitely aim for amazing so... seeing you say that is awesome. And I planned out the whole story really meticulously. It came to me at random moments, and when I completed the whole reason as to why Jason hated Massie, I thought it turned out pretty good. I'm glad you loved it!

**Alicia Rivera: **I answer reviews from people because they like knowing that I actually read and listen to every review. If you think it's weird, then don't read my story or simply don't review it. Also, reviews are meant to talk about they story. If you only have offensive things to say about people than do not review again. And, if you just check my favorites, you'd know that I actually really like little miss troublee and finding-forever's stories. If you keep reviewing offensively, there are things I can do about it. Got it?

**Omgitskristen:** Dude, thanks so much! I was hoping the whole "reveal" would be awesome, and it's cool that you liked it. And, psht, a cookie? I think you typo-ed, because you said "so god" instead of "so good", but I can handle this being pretty God. I mean, I love compliments.

**Lostintomorrow:** Yeah, snow days are pretty much boss. And so is hot chocolate with marshmallows. Winter sucks, but snow days almost make it worth it. Yeah, and Jason is pretty old. And pathetic. Haha thanks for telling me what you thought he looked like. I am not even sure if I made his appearance clear or not. I'm going back through past chapters to clarify that soon. Anywho, thanks!

**Emeraldeyes101:** Ah, snow days rock! They almost make winter worth it(: And don't worry, I kinda suck at reviewing too. Yeah, what Jason did IS low, and I cannot wait until you guys read the ending. It's so bomb. Ha, and you apologized about typing errors, but didn't have any typos until you apologized and then said, "Upate?" Sorry, just found that funny.

**Fanfictionluver:** Whoa, thanks! The word amazing makes me smile so much. Yeah, a lot of us don't care at all about Jason at all, but I had to carefully give the reasons for what he's doing. Actually, I reveal another one in this chapter. But thanks again!

**c-cloud:** I ah-dored this review! I'm so happy you love the suspense, because I love writing it! And I'm happy you liked the whole backstory, as I took a long time to construct it. Ha, and I actually considered having him be Massie's father, but then decided that would be a tad too dramatic. But, thanks that this awesome review.

**Drowning-in-technicolor-dreams:** No, it's okay, I am a terrible reviewer! But what matters is that you actually did review that chapter! I'm happy you think it's effing amazing, as I totally try to do that! And I also love writing suspense, so I'm glad you notice that and love it. Oh, and it makes you speechless? I am sooooo proud of myself it's obnoxious.

**De.J.A .life:** Yeah, I don't wanna give away any major spoilers, but Massie is mainly the one responsible for escaping, meaning that she goes through a lot of crap to get away. It's pretty kick-ass. I hope you like this chapter and thanks for reviewing(:

**anonymous:** Yeah, I sometimes suck at updating, but you get it, right? Homework has been prety damn plentiful, and my parents are freaks about school. But I updated now, right? Anyway, thanks for reviewing! I love them all, even the short ones.

**Name:** Ha, you didn't say anything in the review so I don't really know how to respond, but here goes: at least you showed me that you're a reader and sent me SOMETHING, which I totally appreciate, even though you didn't actually say anything.

**Applejuicegirl:** Bahaha I love cliffhangers. Like, it's an unhealthy addiction in my writing. It should be illegal, even though I would totally be breaking the law. Psht. My updating sucks, but so does my life when homework is basically the only thing I do. I mean, really: "Honors classes will be fun!" Worst. Idea. Ever. Anywho, thanks for reviewing!

**Glitterxgirl:** Don't worry! I mean, you reviewed now, and thats what matters! I would worry about it if I were you(: I'm glad you like the intensity, as I basically try to pump it up as much as possible. Yeah, I totally understand how Frank actually seems like a pretty nice guy, as I was trying to show that, because there's a surprise in one of the next chapters that makes people realize that he isn't very nice at all. Oh! You have an epipen? Did I get it right? I mean like how to use it? I did some internet researchXD

**brenda:** Wow, thanks! I really try to make the chapters intense, so I'm happy you noticed that and like it! Also, I will try to increase updating as we near the end, even though I totally suck at it.

**Lovetheclique:** Oh, my updating sucks, I know. Between homework and taking care of every other crazy freakin' thing in my life, it's really hard to update, even though I think about it practically every day! Thanks for sticking with me, though. Loved the review(:

**Disclaimer: I do not own Clique. Like, seriously?**

****

"_They hurt you pretty bad, though, didn't they? Right before you got away?"_ _Patricia attempted to blink away the mist that was covering her eyes, but couldn't hide the few tears._

_Massie pretended not to notice. "Yeah." She stared out the window for a second, at the busy streets of New York, and swallowed. "Yeah. It hurt."_

_The room felt silent and wrong, and she wanted to leave. The memories were never easy to confront._

****

John Hanson has been a detective for a long time.

He's seen just about every case in the books, from ransoms to plain kidnappings to the crazy uncle that wants to run away with his nephew. He's pulled little girls out from under stranger's beds and he's admitted to parents that their little boys haven't been found alive.

He's also seen a case similar to the one he was assigned to now. A young girl, held in Georgia, trapped in a house until her parents paid the captors seven million dollars. The only difference was that there wasn't videos of the girl being broadcasted across the nation, and the men who kidnapped her were very clear about how they wanted to get the money.

He'd been on Massie Bock's case since her friends ran to the police, on a warm summer morning. He'd expected to have it over with in a second. Poor little rich girl gets taken, parents pay, guys screw up during the ransom pickup and they all go to jail. Poor little rich girl has a story to tell.

But this wasn't going right, not at all. It was messy to have the press involved. Having to fight a hundred reporters any time he wanted to question someone about where Massie Block might be made things difficult.

Also, the press could be putting her at risk - if a prediction about the case got published in a paper and turned out to be right, her abductors could panic and kill her.

That's basically why these guys were so smart - they used human nature and the public to do the whole thing. But he was smarter than them, and so was Massie. The proof was laid out in the latest video, a few spoken words that those brilliant men didn't catch.

It was the clue that he assumed Massie dropped intentionally, the clue that mentioned hatred, that gave her parents a wake-up call.

****

"He_ doesn't like you _Mrs. Block. She said _doesn't like_. Now I've done this before, and even if you deny it, there is someone, somewhere, that is pissed at you. And you know why."

Kendra Block was side-glancing nervously, as if trying to catch the eye of her husband. Too bad, though, because he was in another room, getting interviewed by Daniels. The best stories ever told were from people that were talking alone.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Her fingers were skinnier than the last time he'd seen her. Not that she hadn't been skinny the last time.

"I told you. Henry did this. He would do this. I know you said that you couldn't find him in the computers, but he existed at one point. Nobody else would just take her and play games like this."

John wasn't exactly impressed. The only real, solid name they'd been given was Henry. Henry Pillson, who they claimed was the only person who would hate William Block enough.

"Mrs. Block, can you give us any other information? What kind of job did he go into after you lost touch?"

She looked tired. "After the whole business thing? I found his name two years later. A government position. But I _told_ you this."

****

"So the stories match. They both worked together in pissing this guy off big-time, Will takes the baby that was almost Henry's."

John was smoking a cigarette, ignoring the annoyed looks from the younger rookies that eyed the cigarette dismissively. "But he doesn't exist."

"We ran a check on Henry Pillson. Changed his name five years ago. Now goes by Jason Hawthorne."

John was suddenly furious. "How in the hell didn't we catch that before?!"

"It was the day that Cynthia said something was funky with the computers... He must've slipped through the cracks." John chuckled lightly, then immediately charged back into the task. "He changed his name for no reason five years ago. He didn't change his name and move. He didn't change his name and get a new job. He got a new driver's license and ID, but the pictures are similar. His appearance was the same. He only changed his name. That odd to you?" He dug his cigarette into his coffee cup, wrinkling his nose at the smoke/coffee smell.

"Very odd. I get the feeling he's been preparing for this for years. That too far-fetched? Because this is very smart. Very thought-out, and he didn't do it alone. You don't get a team together and kidnap a girl alone."

John ran his hand over his face, trying to jolt himself awake. "Shit," he mumbled, re-reading Henry's file. "He's been planning this for five years. Maybe more, because you have to plan on changing your name. Shit, shit, shit."

They both jumped as an older woman, severe bun and suit, sensible flats, walked swiftly into the room.

"We've been going like crazy. Henry's got a series of different friends. Massie mentioned the location being deserted? Three of them own homes in very, very rural areas of upstate New York. One near Maine."

She stood silently while the two men thought this over, looking bored with herself. That was the funny thing about Helen; the ability to hand over a piece of dynamite and not feel like she'd done anything in particular.

"We better check those places out, then, huh?"

"Sure thing, I'll give you exact addresses and check your schedules. You'll need a warrant in case people are difficult. She was leaving he room when John stepped forward.

"Helen, why did Henry quit his position? He was in pretty high ranking when he disappeared."

She didn't waver. "He failed his psych exam. It was a slow thing, really. They suspected mental illness about two years before he was finally let go. Started messing with things. Got really angry all the time. They thought he was on drugs."

****

So she survived the attack.

The attack of her peanut allergy, that is. She felt fine a day later and was relieved to an unimaginable degree, thanking God that she still had a chance.

But still, only a chance.

She'd arrived at the decision last night, while fighting off sleep. Jason told her why he kidnapped her. He was showing her off to the nation, thrusting her into their faces so they would mourn for her.

He was openly talking about himself and becoming more and more careless every day.

He was going to kill her.

She didn't like the fact, or thinking about it, or knowing it was true. But it was what it was; the simple ending to the tragic tale. It was only a matter of time.

Would he wait until her parents begged? Would he wait until the entire world offered the money? Would he wait until she went insane, wishing for her way out?

They were still freaks about her going near the stairs. They were careless, yet careful, aware of each step she took, each direction she glanced. Running never seemed more impossible.

Or, was it even more possible than she had thought? Would a few seconds of distraction for them be enough to let her get away? Was there a neighbor anywhere? Would she survive alone for very long, stuck in this area that seemed so deserted, alone?

Massie would have to survive, though. She needed to make it out of here to prove that she had control of her own life. Jason was not going to hear her cry any more. He was not going to mock her and her parents, or drop another magazine on her bed whenever they wrote about her.

She tried to imagine what it would be like if she got to sit on the witness stand and announce what he'd done. How he took her, ignored her cries, pointed a gun in her face and hit her until her cheeks were purple. It was a crazy fantasy, but she could make it happen. She_ would _make it happen.

They must be insane, though, because she was starting to notice more and more that they didn't think she'd try to run.

Jason still carried a gun in his back pocket. She didn't try to do something stupid, like steal it or anything, because even with a gun in her hand she'd be more defenseless than him.

Two days after the third video aired, she found the magazine. It was sitting on the coffee table in the basement, not exactly standing out to her. It struck her as odd that he hadn't woken her up like usual, throwing it down ceremoniously to celebrate. It just sat there, ready for her to notice, or not notice it.

Her lips moved slowly as she silently read the words.

**It's Official. We're All Watching.**

**At first, a few had seen the tape. Then the second one arrived. Then the third. While a sniffling Massie Block sat in front of the camera, the whole world watched. What will become of her? Millions are dying to know.**

She looked up, angry. Why did he still do this? Why did he smack her in the face with these articles, mocking her because she was the girl everyone pitied. The little kidnapped girl that everyone saw on TV and talked about. When, or if, she escaped this, she'd be known for that forever.

She hated this. She hated him, so much it was like a wildfire spreading through her body, igniting the tips of her toes and the ends of her brunette hair.

"I hate you," she murmured into the cool air of the basement. It was liberating; a sudden peace to her anger. "I hate you so much," she said, trying not to smile and make this even cheesier than it already was. The words were the most solid things she'd held on to in a long, long time. She felt lighter, better. "I hope you fucking die."

"What?" Massie whirled around to see Jason, who had probably been standing behind her the whole time.

"You hate me? For what, Massie. Tell me." He took a step forward, still far enough away so she didn't retreat back.

"What do you mean, why? Why do I hate you? Well, let me count the ways." He eyes were smoldering, cheeks red with a sudden fury.

"I hate that you took he here, away from my friends. I hate that you shot Derrick. I hate that you keep me in this basement. I hate that because of you, I haven't seen the sun in weeks. I hate that you mock me with this magazine, with the paper, when they write about me. I hate that you don't care that I miss my parents. I hate that you ignore when I cry."

He looked stunned, then so mad that she regretted saying all of it. Sort of.

"And you know what I hate most? I hate that you can't just get over it. God, I mean, yeah, my parents fucked you over. But you obviously have money anyway. And _ah_-bviously you weren't meant to be with my mom. And I didn't do a thing, but you kidnap me? Jesus Cha-_rist_, get over it! If you've really spent the past fifteen years trying to piss off my parents, then you are even more pathetic than I thought you were."

His steps toward her were slow, measured. She stood her ground, but it felt like it was shaking right beneath her. She should not have said that. She was going to get herself killed, even earlier than she was meant to be killed. He was pissed.

"I..." she wanted to apologize, to keep him from hitting her. But she meant it all. She meant that he was pathetic and evil. She couldn't take those words back because they were all true.

"You have no right to talk to me like that. You have no-" he slapped her, "-right. You hear me?"

She nodded, quickly, hoping he wouldn't do worse.

"I cannot believe that a bitch like you was born into such luck." His hands gripped her shoulders, whirling her around until she went crashing into a wall. She pursed her lips and clenched her teeth, trying to hold back a scream.

"But then again, I can. Two horrible people that ruined my life would surely produce a girl like you." She shriveled up against the wall, trying to hold back his blows. But they came. His hand on her neck, pulling forward and then brutally thrusting her head into the wall. She blinked, fighting off the blurs that dominated her line of vision.

The punch to her stomach is what made her finally fall to the floor, a sad heap of delicate flesh and tears. The kick to her ribs was like fire, causing her to whimper, if only for a second.

"My parents," she murmured, gasping for breath despite her aching ribs, "were good people. You are an asshole. Scum. You cannot tell me that they-"

The last blow to her ribs, a simple kick with his boot, sent her into a coughing fit, causing intense pain of her ribs.

She looked up just as he was walking up the stairs.

Massie laid on the floor for twenty minutes before finally standing, walking slowly to her room.

She would survive. She would _not _let him win.

****

**Reviews make me grin.**


	12. We Hold on to Desperation it Saves Us

**A/N: Okay, so basically I re-wrote this chapter about three times and have multiple drafts and had no idea, at first, that it would end up like this, but it did, so here we go. I debated the ending of this chapter for like twenty minutes. Literally. I sat at my desk for that long staring off into space before deciding this is the best ending.**

**And no, this is not the last chapter! I promise!**

**Reviews:**

**glitterxgurl: **Well, I will admit that I strive for brilliance;) It's weird to think that I came up with the plot - it was more random crap that sprang up during my regular life, and somehow I made a story. And the no grammar or spelling errors? Lucky. I know I have a few mistakes here and there, but I don't really do well with betas... But thanks! And the psychiatrist thing was a moment of pure inspiration, so I'm glad it paid off! So thanks for the amazing review(:

**fanfictionluver:** Oh, don't call yourself stupid! I'm sorry I didn't have the x's - FFN wouldn't let me type it regular. It kept disappearing, so I had to do it the other way! Oh, and thanks. I love to hear that the chapters are amazing - it makes this SO worth it. And this update is coming pretty fast, I think. The others should too, I think. At this point the story is just flowing nicely.

**Omgitskristen:** Oh, thats okay! The fact that your reviewing at all is nice, since lots of people don't. Baha, and they do find her soon. Trust me. I just finished that chapter, too, and it's pretty awesome. I hope you like this chapter - it gets a little off-the-wall. Haha, and thanks for thinking this story is pretty much God.

**C-cloud;):** And I loved this review! Yeah, I decided to make Massie a little insane and determined towards the end - who wouldn't be? Thanks for liking my writing! I'm sorry, but the only tips I can give are: write a lot! My first stories SUCKED, (from a different fandom) but you improve the more you write! I promise! And then re-read and re-re-read and re-re-re-read everything you write! Don't be afraid to change things and edit. I know that sounds tiring, but that's the only way you can know that your chapter is almost perfect.

**Finding-forever: **Haha, yeah, we all want him to die. *grins sneakily*. You're gonna like this chapter. Yeah, it's hard to feel sorry for him, but something else about his past is revealed in this chapter. Other things will be told later that will change some opinions about him, like how he and Kendra started dating. Oh, and that "failed psych test and on drugs" thing was random, but I was so happy when I added it. I'm glad you noticed it and liked it!

**healsoverhead:** Oh, at least you found it now and reviewed! Yeah, I've actually had a LOT of reviews saying that Jason is a douche. I think everyone is gonna like this chapter a lot - but that's all I can say! And I'm happy you think Massie is real - I think we'd see a Massie like this if she were ever in this situation - instead of the bitch. Of course, I like to add little things that show that she's still the same old girl:P Ha, actually the whole Jason/Henry thing gets a little weirder in this chapter! Hope you like(:

**applejuicegirl: **Wow, that's is a crazyawesome compliment. Like, I am so effing flattered at the moment it's weird. And don't worry about short reviews - I appreciate all, and I understand that there isn't always time, so thanks for managing to say that anyway! I look forward to your next review - as I think you'll like this chapter.

**Likewow5556: **Oh, thanks! That part with the detectives was odd to write, but I think it added nicely as it's good to know what's going on outside the house where Massie is. Also, I wanted to show that they were close to finding her, as that kinda adds to the suspense. Thanks for reading and reviewing(:

**De.J.A .life: **Psht, heck yes she will survive! And this chapter just proves it... sorta. Dang, I give away too much! But you'll like it. Truuussst me(:

**lost-in-tomorrow:** dude, I know! She reviewed this story saying that I was weird for replying to reviews and that I shouldn't reply to you and finding-forever because your stories suck and stuff. But I pretty much told her to check my favorites and to stop leaving offensive reviews because "there's something I will do about it". Baha, I am so threatening. Anywho, Massie does rock. 'Specially in this chapter. You'll see why. I may or may not make a Superwoman reference in the first section.

**eerin:** Oh, thanks! I love hearing when people love it - it makes this whole thing pretty much worth it. And thanks for reviewing, even though you didn't have to! I'm glad that you like it and I'll try to shoot these updates up as quickly as possible.

**jordon5: **Wow, very flattering review! You touched on all the things that I tried to focus a lot on: the planning and storyline. I wrote about ten of these chapters before I posted the first chapter, which makes this my most planned-out story to date. Although some things came randomly, most of it was pretty thought-out, so I'm glad you noticed that and enjoyed it. The talks with the psychologist came randomly, when I decided that since this story gets really dark at some points, you might need a little reassurance that yes, Massie does live. And don't worry, continuing will not be a problem! I have written the next two chapters - and am rapidly planning the ones after, so I am definitely not quitting on this story anytime... ever.

**Disclaimer: I do no own the Clique. Any recognizable characters, plotlines, or settings are the property of the author and it's publisher. But any original plot points and characters AND settings are mine. Which is actually a large portion of this story. But you get the gist, right?**

**

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**

"_And now we're at my favorite part," Massie said softly, as Patricia sat down with her ever-present notebook._

"_Ah. The ending." She grinned._

"_No, not quite the ending, I'd say. The beginning of the ending. The best part, though."_

_Patricia nodded, smiling. "That sounds about right. Now tell me what happened. I mean, not a lot of people know the whole, true story."_

_Massie laughed. "That's right. The press tried to guess how it really went down, but they never were exactly right."_

"_But you really took down two grown, armed men without a gun of your own, right?"_

_Massie laughed again, louder. "When you say it that way, I sound like Superwoman. But yes. I guess I won against two grown men. Granted, one of them I beat with mental warfare."_

"_True. But tell me what happened!" Patricia's eyes were bright. "I'm dying to know!"_

_Massie sat back and began: "Okay, so I basically knew I had to escape soon..."_

_****_

"We have a negative on Brad Wilson's house, and it looks like Pete Hoven's place hasn't been touched in weeks."

Daniels checked his list of residences they had to visit. Henry Pillson had three friends with homes in mainly rural areas. "Looks like we have one more. Frank Levy's got a big place up near Maine."

John rubbed his palms together, smiling. "I have a good feeling about this. This is the place."

The other man smiled and took a sip of coffee, grinning. "I say we both go with the team. If she's there, I wanna see this go down."

Helen shook her head from her chair. "Of course you both want to witness this. Leave for Frank's house tomorrow?"

They both made a mental check of their schedules. Tomorrow... Wednesday. No meetings. No interviews.

"Perfect," Daniels said, winking at John.

****

Massie woke up the next morning in pain.

It hurt. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to cough, it hurt to sigh. It hurt to stand up or roll over. It hurt to move, period. Everything she did, from blinking to scratching an itch, seemed to have the consequence of a deep throbbing, from whatever bruise she'd acquired. Suddenly she felt unsure about everything, scared of the impending raw nerve.

Today was different, though.

She did not have time.

Massie was a smart girl, when it came to reading people. It was what had allowed her to stay so popular for so long. She could simply tell that something wasn't right.

They were going to kill her.

She saw it, saw it everywhere. It was in the way Jason refused to even treat her better than the scum of the earth. It was in the way Frank hardly ever came down any more. It was the way Kevin's eyes became blank, tired, blurry, a sort of weariness that could only mean the worst.

At it was getting no better. Death lay across that lonely basement like an old, moldy blanket. It seeped into her pores and made her thoughts all the same thing. I'm going to die. I'm _going_ to_ die._

Desperation only had so long before it arrived. It was only so long before her adrenaline, fight or flight, kicked it. Run or fight?

Fighting wasn't an option - or so it had seemed it first. She'd have to rely on surprise and fast legs to get away. She'd have to hope that her body's internal alarms went off, and granted her the speed she'd never had before. She had to pray, for a real-live, more important than lip-gloss miracle. Because fighting the people with guns? Fighting the people who had the ability to turn you into a little, broken girl would never work.

Who knew that later on, fighting would be her only option?

She sure didn't.

***

The day was perfect. Or, as perfect as it would ever get in planning an escape. Two days after Jason's brutal attack. She was not healed, but she was better. Good was an overstatement, but what else could she do?

Her senses were alert, fierce and sharp, and she knew. She knew that he was going to shoot her today. She was unbelievably positive, in fact.

Frank, Pete, and Brad were all out, running errands or visiting people or working, like in Frank's case. So it was only Jason and Kevin.

They were on the computer, downstairs, messing with it to fix a camera problem. A problem that saved her life.

It was going to be her last video, that was for sure. Everything seemed final. Kevin was in a daze. Jason was irritable. The air was filled with a friction, a sort of tangible tension that made Massie's hair feel frizzy.

She was standing by the staircase, where they dropped the DVDs that had watched upstairs. They were always too lazy to bring them to the cupboard where the movies were kept, and usually she cleaned them up. But she hadn't lately.

"Hey. What're you doing?" Jason is fully on to her, being his usual asshole self. She shrugged.

"Looking at movies. Am I committing a crime?"

He shakes his head and returns to the problem, and then she was... gone. Running.

She wills herself to go faster. Like divine intervention will save her now. Her feet seem to fly up the stairs and the door seems so close, the handle in her reach, and then...

The gun goes off, and she feels that stabbing, sharp pain in her leg that same instant. Wet, sticky warmth floods over her calf and she's on the floor, moaning, crying, screaming, because this is so, so much worse than any other pain she's ever felt. Footsteps are close and she's not looking up, because she's failed. She has not gotten away.

The end is so close and she can see it, feel it, make friends with it, and then his voice is the only thing Massie hears.

"I don't even know what to say. And here you are, bleeding all over Frank's rug."

Her thoughts come to a screeching halt and the world stops. Her hand loosens on the gunshot wound and blood increases its flow but shock is making her numb.

"This is Frank's house?" Voice shaky, eyes wet, it's like she lost the bet before she even got her cards.

He laughs, standing above her, so merciless and mean.

Massie reached up high enough to yank down a jacket from the nearby coatrack and began wrapping her leg, a sad attempt to stop the bleeding. She was feeling faint.

He's going to kill her he's going to kill her he's going to kill her.

Jason bent down, then finally just sat on the floor next to her and smiled.

"It didn't matter that you tried. I'm going to kill you anyway, and I'm going to kill you now."

The adrenaline is coursing, fueling her decreasing blood like a poison.

A poison meant for Jason.

He pulled the little safety catch on the gun. His hand lay limp over his knee and the gun dangled there, carelessly. She watched it with weariness.

"Mass," he said as he continued to let the gun hang from his fingers loosely. "You were a pain in the ass before this even began."

And then she loses it.

She doesn't go crazy, but it's like he flipped a switch with his words and then she doesn't even fucking care anymore, because if she doesn't do something right _now_, she's going to die.

She reached up and put her hand over his on the gun and turned it so fast and pulled the trigger.

And shot him in the head. She took him by surprise.

The shot echoed in the entryway. The end of a nightmare. The beginning of a lullaby.

And then, Kevin stepped forward, kicking the gun out of her reach and pulling out his own.

"You killed him." He is shocked, pissed, scared, all at once. Like he never even considered this as a possibility. Like the world is ending.

"Kevin..." Massie feels distant, removed, woozy. Her leg is still bleeding, slightly less than a few minutes ago but still hurting. God, it was hurting.

"He's dead. I can't believe this. He drags us all into this and then gets himself killed." He raised his arm, pointing his gun at Massie. "What else am I supposed to do?"

He seemed so scared, so desperate. Massie wasn't sure how to speak.

"Kevin, don't. You can let me go. Please."

"No, I can't. He always said, no matter what, we couldn't let you go. I can't just not listen to that since he's dead."

She shook her head, eyes falling out of focus. "But you can, Kevin. Please. Let me go. You can do a good thing."

He wasn't looking at her. "I've always listened to Henry. Always. Since forever."

Henry? Who in the hell...? But she doesn't have time to analyze Kevin's last sentence. She needed to survive, and he was so desperate at the moment that convincing him to let her live was actually a possibility.

"I'm begging you, Kevin."

He isn't responding to her, though.

"I've done a lot of bad things. Listening to Henry was the best thing I ever did."

Again with the Henry stuff. "But you can do an even better thing! You can let me go!"

"They have the cars...."

"I'll run on foot. God. Just..." Tears were running down her cheeks, her thin face was pale and sunken and leaking tears. Kevin finally looked at her.

"One more good thing..." He whispered.

"Yes. You can let me go. You won't even go to jail, because they'll know. They'll know that you were the one who let me live." This isn't true, not at all. Kevin would be caught and sent to prison if she got away, but in his current, desperate, unstable state, he was listening. Massie ground her teeth as she tried to tie and tighten the jacket around her leg more securely. She was in deep shit.

The pain was enough to make everything seem different, less real, but Kevin's failing mind and slipping resolve made her focus. She needed to break him down using his weakest points.

"Jason is dead. Even if you listen to what he told you to do, you won't get any gratification from it. Okay? It doesn't matter any more."

"His name is Henry, you bitch!" Kevin was shaking, fingers tighter on the gun. She shook her head. Okay, that approach would not work.

"Think of the good Henry, Kevin. The Henry you listened to." She was going solely on things she'd just heard Kevin say. She had no idea what he was talking about, but it had seemed important.

"Yeah, he kept me outta trouble. Helped me stay out of the way so the old man didn't beat on me so much. Henry got the most of it."

Um, what? They were related? With a shared, terrible past?

"You can redeem yourself. You can show people that you're a good person, even if Henry wasn't towards the end."

Kevin nodded. "One more good thing..." he murmured. His emotional ups-and-downs were unpredictable and off the wall, but Massie didn't think this would happen.

She didn't think that Kevin would click the safety catch on the gun. She didn't expect him to press it to his temple and pull the trigger.

But he did.

* * *

**End Notes: Crazy, right? **


	13. If I Could Paint Over These Memories

**Read this chapter carefully and you'll get all the details, mmkay?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**

* * *

**_Patricia glanced out the window at the snow and smiled. Massie did too._

_"So, you still don't remember anything after Kevin killing himself and before you woke up in the hospital?_

_Massie was embarrassed. "Honestly? No. It's like my brain erased it all. I still can't believe it either."_

* * *

"I think her eye almost opened."

"Kendra, give it a rest. She needs her sleep."

"She's been sleeping for three days, William. I think she's ready to wake up."

"Just don't push it, okay? The nurses already gave us that lecture."

Massie weakly turned her head to the side and listened intently. Her parents? Was that them? Where was she?

"Mommy?" she whispered in a groggy voice, thick with sleep.

"Baby? William, she just said something!"

"Mommy..."

"Sweetie, I'm here. It's okay. Open your eyes, I'm right here."

Massie tried, but she couldn't. Her whole body felt like it weighed as much as an elephant. Her chest felt like it was under pressure and she could feel all the different tubes and wire she was attached to. Her eyelids fluttered a little, but her eyes remained closed.

"Can you look at me, baby?" It was her dad, She felt a finger on her cheek, in her hair.

"I'm tired," she said softly before crashing again.

* * *

"It's the drugs," Massie heard later, when her brain was awake. Her eyes were still closed. "She'll be wakeful enough to open her eyes soon, but for now the drugs will keep her like this. Her body has gone through a lot of trauma. For now, be patient."

Massie could hear footsteps , and then a low sob. "I'm tired of being patient." Her mother. "I've been waiting for a long time. I want to speak to my daughter."

"Kendra, just wait. I think you should go back to the hotel. Nothing crazy is going to happen if you just get some rest. You haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks.

"But-"

"No buts. I'm calling Isaac to come get you."

Massie wanted to stay awake longer and hear the voices, but she couldn't. Her body was exhausted.

* * *

It's bright, bright daytime when she finally wakes up fully. The blinds are closed in the room, but all the white is still bright against her sleep-ridden eyes. A thousand different monitors are hooked up to her, beeping quietly in a corner.

"Dad?" She says it so quietly; so softly, that she can barely hear it, but he jerks awake and rubs his eyes.

"Mass?" he whispers and she can see that he's crying, his whole face is wet. She yawns and he gets up, pressing his forehead against hers and holding her head, running his fingers through her hair and kissing her on the cheeks. "I'm calling your mother."

Kendra is there in about ten minutes. Her hair is thrown in a short ponytail and curly, unstraightened, around her face. She cries too. Later, a few nurses come in and tell Massie that they've been taking care of her since she got here four days ago. They each give her a handshake and one starts crying, making Massie tear up in confusion. William stepped out, and she could see a few other nurses consoling him.

"Sweetie, oh I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Massie is crying too hard to answer, so she just nods and holds her mother close, inhaling her perfume. It's all so familiar, yet she's missed it so much.

After all the hugging, and crying, and whispers of "I missed you and I love you", Massie finally got a chance to evaluate herself physically.

Her calf was bandaged and wrapped and covered. It was too heavy for her to even lift up, and her toes felt like they were being pulled away achingly slowly from her foot.

"Does it hurt?" her mother asks when she sees Massie wince. "They said it would hurt. They lowered the drug dosage so you wouldn't be so tired but I can make them give you something..."

"No, I'm fine. Uh, how long was I out?" Massie didn't really remember anything. In fact, she couldn't exactly recall how she had gotten here.

"You were out for a while. They had to operate on your leg twice. Um, the first time you lost too much blood. You needed two transfusions. On the way here, in the helicopter, um..." She looked down for a second and paused.

"What? What happened?"

She looked back up and Massie and pointed at the heart monitor. "You flatlined. Twice. They barely brought you back the second time. They had to wait to operate, because you had lost so much blood, and then they did operate and you came really close again, so they had to stop, and then finally it was successful. You got here five days ago."

Massie, who had been sitting up, fell back down on the bed and sighed. "Wow. Funny, I don't even recall getting here." She smiled. Maybe it was for the best.

Kendra pursed her lips. "They said that might happen. It's a trauma thing... you're coping. From what we've gathered, after the two men died you used Henry's cell phone to call 911. They sent the helicopter because you were so far secluded."

Massie nodded. That made sense - even if she didn't remember it. What didn't make sense was that she remembered the worst parts.

"I killed him," she whispered. She didn't even mean to - it was just a thought, a shock. She had killed Henry. Kendra looked up.

"Oh, honey. It's okay. The police - they weren't sure. They didn't think his death had been a suicide, but they knew that Kevin's was." She sat down on the bed from where she was standing and began to stroke Massie's hair. "It's okay. Nobody blames you for anything."

Massie was inhaling rapid, shallow breaths. Her heart monitor began to beep. A trip of nurses rushed in, checking the thousand cords and wires in the room, including all the ones in Massie's wrist.

"Your BP is up. Mrs. Block, she needs rest. Wait for the therapist to deem her healthy to talk," one lectured.

Kendra kissed Massie's forehead. "I'm sorry, pumpkin." She began to back away, but Massie freaked out.

"Stay!" she yelled. Her mother smiled and sat on the hard plastic chair next to the hospital bed.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Massie learns that school started while she was gone, and that she'll be allowed to see her friends when the therapist decides she can.

Her therapist's - or, more specifically, her psychiatrist's name is Patricia. She has kind eyes and has talked to Massie a few times. She keeps telling her not to worry - she won't have to repeat the grade she's in, she won't have to stay in the hospital much longer,and yes, Derrick is okay.

"Can he still play soccer?" Massie asks one afternoon. She's sitting up and taking more minor painkillers, now, and is feeling much better. The hospital still isn't discharging her, though.

Patricia was opening the blinds in the rather dark room. "Derrick plays soccer?" She wasn't pressuring Massie to talk about anything in particular. Massie had spent most of her time talking about Derrick.

"Yeah. He - he's a goalie." Massie bit her lip to avoid crying, but she couldn't help it. Derrick had been shot in the arm. Of course he wasn't able to take back his position on the field.

"Oh. Well, he's expected to have no chronic pain and a full range of movement in his arm and shoulder, so don't worry, Massie," she said soothingly.

Massie sighed and nodded. It was all she could do these days. Although her circumstances had drastically improved - namely, she wasn't trapped in that house - things were still... not the way she'd want them. She was trapped in a hospital. The press was going nuts for an interview including Oprah (!) and apparently her mom had to hire some special press people to handle the new fans she'd acquired. Things were a little too crazy. Of course she wouldn't have minded that much if she'd been allowed to see her friends. But that was another new guideline she still had to follow.

"So..." Patricia looked at her with a wide smile. "Guess what?"

Massie narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I got special permission for all your friends to come over. You get to see them tomorrow!" The woman, who was at least thirty, did a little dance that reminded Massie of most eight-year-olds.

Massie gasped. "Oh.. my God. Really? Really really?" She hated getting so emotional, but could feel tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much!" she said in gratitude.

Patricia leaned down and hugged her. "No problem, hun." She then leaned down and whispered, as if someone was actually listening in. "Guess who else gets to see you?" Her eyes were sparkling.

Massie could only think of one person, who, other than her friends, she wanted to see. One boy with a damaged arm, and blonde hair. One boy with brown eyes. One boy who, just weeks ago, pressed ice on to her swollen cheekbones after she'd been beat down. One boy who tried to keep five horrible, horrible men from taking her away. One boy she wanted to pour her heart out to.


	14. And it's Because we Don't let Go

**A/N: Hey, readers! What's up? Not much? Thought so. This is definitely not the last chapter, but it is totally the bomb. Just saying. **

**Your reviews! So sorry I was unable to reply to your last ones.**

**darling: **I know, I almost thought I wasn't going to update either. But I couldn't just stop, you know? And thanks for liking the descriptions! I try really hard to give you a good idea of what everyone is feeling. And don't say that yours aren't as good. You should see my early stories, from a different penname in a different fandom...

**smilez6647: **Oh, gosh, thanks for thinking its amazing! I love when I get reviewers who think that. Please, review again! I will be replying to all of them from now on!

**teamnickandmiley:** Oh, thanks! I love to hear that this has affected you emotionally - I was totally aiming for that! And hearing that you think that I'm an amazing writer makes me sooo happy. I totally appreciate your update!

**flustrated:** Oh, wow, I loved your review! Very flattering, and I totally agree with you - it's good that Massie is okay. I'm really glad that I've gained a new reviewer and I guarantee that I'll reply to them!

**littlemisstroublee:** Oh, thanks! I didn't originally plan on Massie awaking right then, but it felt like the most appropriate. And yeah, I was aiming for Kendra to be a little funny - sometimes the story is a little too heavy, and I need to break it up. Thanks for reviewing and I'll look forward to your next one(:

**finding-forever:** Oh, believe me, there is more than one chapter left! I couldn't end it too quickly. And I love that you feel connections to Massie - I really wanted to make her a character that you could relate to, but I still wanted her to be in-character. Oh, and you won't be disappointed in the Massington stuff! I filled this chapter with it(:

**likewow5556:** Oh, thanks! I was really anxious about how I portrayed the emotion, and I wanted the reunion between Massie and her parents to be deep, and realistic. I'm glad that you liked it.

**dusty714:** Oh, thanks! I'm glad you love it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing(:

**dreamer:** Oh, I'm SO glad you mentioned me keeping to the true Massie. I didn't want to make her nicer than she really was, or sporty or anything. The true Massie can be a little nasty, and she cares a lot about how she looks, and I didn't want to change that. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this next chapter.

**lovergirlns:** Oh, thanks! I had a hard time writing that chapter and I'm glad that you liked it. I tried really hard and I'm glad it showed. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**cblover1812:** Yeah, I finally updated! I'm glad you loved that chapter, and I really hope you like this one! Oh, and I really did want to show how strong Massie is. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Kendra held the mirror up to Massie's face and smiled. "Honey, you look great. Really, you shouldn't get so worked up about this."

Massie sat back and gasped. "I should get worked up? I look horrible. The bruise over my left eye won't go away and I'm pale as heck! I couldn't look worse." She fell back on the pillow and her eyes teared up. Kendra ran a hand through her hair.

"I know, sweetie. But remember, they won't be judging. Their just happy you're alive and well. Don't worry." She heard a few footsteps in the hall and smiled. "That's them."

Massie could feel the excitement bubbling up in her stomach. She couldn't hold back the grin that was stretching itself across her face. It had been forever, and she was finally seeing her friends. They all stepped in the doorway to her room and paused for a second.

"Ohmigod!" Alicia's yell was unmistakable. Massie felt herself being hugged and smothered under a thick layer of hairspray and perfume. The squeal had a few doctors and nurses checking in the room to make sure everything was okay. She shushed them as best as she could, but when they pulled back, it was her that was squealing.

"I missed you guys so much," she murmured, finally taking a breath. They all stood by her bed, silently, taking it all in.

"You don't have to talk about it," Kristen suddenly piped up. "That's not why we came." It was silent again as they all thought.

Massie was the first to break the silence. "I know. And... I don't really want to talk about it. Not yet. But someday... yeah. The rest of their faces broke out in grins.

"Okay," Dylan said as she hoisted a giant bag onto Massie's bed. "We brought some things for you."

Massie nodded her head and accepted each gift while Claire held her hand the whole time.

000

Derrick Harrington was nervous. Not in that "I'm going to fail this test" kind of way, but a "I'm going to see the girl of my dreams who was kidnapped" kind of way. Which was weird.

He thought about getting her flowers, then decided not to, since she already had about a billion sitting at home from all her family and people from school. But then he decided that he should. Just to... be nice.

Of course, the flowers he was holding were pretty much dead, as he'd been holding them so tight in his clenched fists. Damn, he was nervous. He sat on a bench in the main lobby, waiting until that one chick, Patricia, told him he could go in. Until then, he waited.

Waiting sucked.

God, he couldn't believe everything that had happened. She had killed a man, that's what the news had said. And they had the three other guys in custody, awaiting trial. And she got shot?

This sounded like some weird action movie, or something. Not real life. He looked down at the purple irises again. God, what a stupid idea. He felt like an idiot. She just went to hell and back, what would she do with flowers?

He thought about all the things he would and wouldn't tell her. He couldn't go too fast, that was for sure. He couldn't tell her that he missed her so much. Or maybe he could? That didn't exactly say "I want to be your boyfriend", which was what he really wanted to tell her. But he wouldn't tell her that. Because she was still in the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the leg in a daring hostage escape. Jesus, Christ. He used his sleeve to wipe his forehead, which was sweaty. He was a mess. Why did he think this was a good idea? Did she even want to see him? Geez, what if she was still, like, in pain or something? He couldn't handle that. He didn't like needles, or doctor-y stuff, or even hospitals in general. But why was he thinking about that? He was so selfish. God.

His name being called pulled him out of his crazy internal monologue.

"Derrick? She's ready to see you." Derrick walked slowly down the hallway, passing her four friends as he did so. They all gave him warm smiles, but weren't as giddy as usual. What did that mean?

"Hey." Derrick stopped suddenly at her voice. Was that her? He turned and saw Massie Block, sitting in her hospital bed, smiling at him. He smiled back and walked to her bed slowly, taking a seat next to it.

"Flowers?" Massie blushed. She had a faintly yellow bruise above her eye and her skin was pale white. He put the flowers on her windowsill. "Thanks," she whispered.

He swallowed, not knowing what to say. She took care of that.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. She sounded weak. And then, he felt normal again.

"Yeah? Ha, not as much as I missed you." He took ahold of her hand and smiled again. She was cold. Her fingers were bony. He tried not to gasp when he looked down and saw how skinny she was.

Massie pursed her lips and looked down. "Really?"

He laughed. "Of course. You're my favorite girl." He realized how true this was, how true it all was. He'd missed her.

Massie looked up in surprise when he said that. "I thought about you a lot, you know. I was so worried about you, because you got shot." She was going to say more, but he was shushing her.

"No, no, no, don't worry about that. Mass, I was worried about you. Of course, I was just being silly. You obviously were able to take on all those guys." He laughed again, and this time she found the strength to laugh with him.

"Oh, yeah, I am such a badass," she said softly. He squeezed her cold, white hand.

"Well, you may think that was a joke, but I'm not kidding. That was pretty kickass."

They both smiled at each other then, not saying anything. The quiet suited them. Derrick looked around at the hospital room she'd been in for so long. It was white - too white, but then again not much different from her bedroom.

"Did you lose hope?" She suddenly asked. "Ever? Did you ever think for a second that I wasn't coming home?" Her question caught him off guard, but he decided to be honest.

"It depends on how you phrase it. I never lost hope, Massie. I never once lost that hope that you would come back. But did I doubt that sometimes? Yeah, I did." He paused and instantly regretted saying that when she started crying.

"I'm sorry, I have been crying so much lately..." she said as he handed her a tissue.

Derrick felt guilty. "It's just... on the news, and everything, they kept interviewing all these investigators and detectives and they were saying that the chance of finding you after so much time was one in, like, a million. And then all these experts started saying that the later videos that came out could have been pre-taped, and you could already be dead."

Massie looked up in shock. "They said that?"

Derrick nodded. "It was hard, Mass, to believe everything was going to be okay. We were all messes, you know." He looked down again and saw that her hand was shaking in his. He squeezed it again, and sighed. "But I never lost hope. I was always wanting you back. I always hoped you were alive."

She looked out the window. She couldn't look at him. Everything scared her. Everything hurt. She felt like she couldn't breathe and her eyes stung. She was free; why was she hurting?

The elements were pushing too hard. Everything, everything was pressing against her and she couldn't look at Derrick and the pressure wasn't easing and her head hurt. Everything hurts.

Derricks's grip loosened on her hand. She turned quickly and looked at him; startled. He was leaving?

"I have to go, Mass. I can tell that you need some time." He leaned in and gently kissed her on her forehead.

And then, the pressure eased.

She felt like she could breathe again.

Just as he was reaching her door, she called out.

"Derrick," she said softly.

"Yeah?" He looked like he was anticipating what she was going to say.

"When... before I went to pack my bag, after you had been shot by Henry..."

"Yeah?"

"I said I loved you." She hadn't remembered that until now, but the memory was there, clear as day in her head.

Derrick looked at the floor for a second, blushing. "I know."

Massie paused for a bit, unsure of what to say next. The truth?

"I meant it. I meant all of it." She shook her head. "I just can't do this right now, though. Okay? I need a while before I can... commit to you." She looked at him with a face that was so achingly desperate and sad and soft and bruised. Derrick wanted to cry.

"Of course." He smiled. "And Mass?"

"Hm?"

"I love you too."

**Aww. Reviews are appreciated(:**


	15. But Within the Light, There's Beginnings

**A/N: This has been horrendously delayed, and I sincerely apologize for that. There is no good excuse. But I thought a lot about the ending, and although it may seem hasty, this just felt... right.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Clique. Thanks for asking, though.**

* * *

"One, two, three, four." Quietly, Massie counted the four nightlights that were strategically placed in available outlets throughout her room._ Four._

To say that she needed light was an understatement. The second she'd stepped out of the hospital - or, rather, walked out with the assistance of crutches - she had looked straight up into the sun.

She spent a lot of time doing that these days.

It was something she forgot to miss when she was afraid for her life. But now that it was there and visible, she was in awe of it. How do you go weeks without seeing the sun and not miss it? It was life, it was vitality, it was everything she hadn't gotten.

Nighttime was always tough. The battle she fought every night. The darkness closing around her, suffocating her. She thrived on the light she could have. It was actually hard to sleep with the darkness engulfing her. She'd been home for months and still reveled in it. Light was everything to her now.

Therapy was going well. Patricia still hadn't made her talk about _it_, and that was reassuring. They talked about mundane things, school and Bean and often discussed the big questions, like religion and what she wanted to do with her life.

It was actually really a huge relief to talk about things like that. College was an okay topic, now. Now that she was free, now that she knew she'd live to see college. It was odd to think that now too long ago, she shied away from thinking about the future because she didn't know if she'd see it.

For now her life consisted of reconnecting with her friends, catching up in school, and physical therapy. She was walking very well now, the limp so slight that you would have to know it was there to see it. She wouldn't be permitted to wear heels for another six months, not that she minded. Honestly, she knew that she had other things to worry about.

Pete, Brad, and Frank were all sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 2045. Massie was there to hear it. In fact, she cried when she heard it. The sheer happiness she felt when she heard they would be going away was so immediate that Derrick had to catch her mid-fall.

And Derrick. They hadn't done much yet. Hand holding, kisses on the cheek, that was the extent of it. He helped her with homework and didn't ask about what happened, not once.

They were going to prom in a month, though.

He was special, she knew it. He was gentle and soft and even her parents knew it. Hell, they approved of him sleeping in her bed when she woke up, screaming his name. She felt so lucky that he wanted her, and he felt so lucky that she let him in. He was the only person she'd ever been able to ask to just _hold_ her.

It was all sort of a miracle.

Bean freaked out when she was reunited with her owner. It was definitely one of those moments that made Massie cry actual tears of joy. Now that she was home, she always had the dog by her side, and she was always with one of her friends. If it wasn't Kristen, Dylan, or Alicia, it was Derrick. And if nobody was allowed to come over for some reason, it was Claire. Living on the Block property certainly had it's perks.

It took a long time for her to find out exactly what was wrong with Henry - Jason, as she knew him. After the police searched his house, they found cocaine, oxycontin, adderall, and a variety of other drugs. They also found files on his computer detailing his obsession with Kendra that went back years. He had been hiding out in Frank's house for a long time.

Interviews with the three surviving captors told everyone exactly how charismatic and happy Henry had seemed. It almost made sense that he was able to convince four other men to help him kidnap a teenage girl. It was still baffling that they went along with letting the other nine teenagers see their faces and then let them live, but crazier things have been done.

It was revealed soon after extensive interviews with Kendra and William Block that Henry was a con man, and that was the plain truth. William hadn't cheated him out of their business, he had prevented Henry from embezzling thousands. Kendra hadn't cheated on Henry, but had left him months before he even knew she was pregnant. He was delusional and they guessed his drug use went back the past two decades.

He was, what the investigators of the case called, the "Perfect Storm".

To Massie, he was the king of her nightmares, the devil who nearly took her life. Bitter, personified.

Healing was slow but sure. She finally entered the basement a week ago, for the first time since that fateful night. It was without even thinking about it, too. She simply said, "Hey dad, let's watch a movie." And then, before she could register the shocked joy on his face, she was on the couch.

And then she looked around slowly.

And had a massive panic attack.

It wasn't what they considered a step backwards, though. It was a great leap forward. Something Patricia explained but Massie didn't yet understand.

She didn't understand a lot of things.

_**Ten Months Later**_

The black SUV slowly pulled onto the property and up the long, steep driveway. When it reached the top, it rolled to a gentle stop. The snow was high and the roads slippery, but it had reached it's destination.

The driver sat in the seat, silent, while the passenger opened the door and stepped out, carefully.

Massie Block blinked slowly and then looked around.

The house was beautiful. A giant porch, brick on the front, and light tan siding all around. There was a big picture window the showed off the living room, although it was empty.

Slowly she took a step, and then another. Her leg was sore, something that simply came with the cold weather. She shook it off and kept walking.

When she made it to the front door she turned around and smiled at the SUV, even though she couldn't see the driver through the tinted window.

She gestured for him to join her.

Derrick Harrington stepped out of the car in jeans and Timberland boots, smiling back at her. He hadn't been told where they were going, just that she wanted to go. Now, though, it was obvious.

He approached her like she was about to explode any minute, but the look on her face was nothing but serene. She was breathing deeply. He stood next to her and pulled her into a side-hug.

"Hey," he whispered, the noise especially clear and sharp in the chilly air.

She turned and gave him a meaningful look and said, "Hi."

They stood like that for a while, just looking at each other, until she pulled away and started walking into the front yard. Her boots made crunching noises in the deep, frozen snow. He followed.

"His sibling owns it now," she said, not having to explain who "he" was. Frank. The only man of the group who had shown her any kindness.

She had let him get the same sentence as the other two, though. It was his house, and she couldn't forget that. Frank Levy had made a choice, and nothing he did could reverse that.

It still hurt, though.

Derrick put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. It was cold and rosy from the fierce winter air, but she didn't seem to mind. She really didn't have a problem with winter anymore. She was taken on a hot day and forced into weeks of desolation in a dark basement. Winter was okay.

"It looks so beautiful, when you can only see the outside. When you aren't _me_."

Derrick smiled sadly and pulled her closer. "You are a strong one, Massie Block."

He was still holding onto her when she looked up into the bright sky. Everything was bright, the snow reflecting the light in her eyes. Everything was white, bright, bright.

The sky was light, light, light, and she had found her beginning.

* * *

**C'mon, one last review?**

_XOXO_

_You know you loved it,_

_Sara;)_


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